Pokèmon Ranger: Heroes of Oblivia
by Akozu Heiwa
Summary: Join Summer and Ben as they tell their story! Saving Oblivia is NOT as easy as it looks. This is not your ordinary Guardian Signs story. Summer and Ben show you their thoughts throughout the entire story. It's their biggest adventure ever!
1. To Oblivia!

(Summer's POV)

My first mission. This was so exciting! Flying through the Oblivian sky, with my best friend and partner, Ben, right behind me. Well, he was right behind me. I accidentally ditched him. Accidentally. Key word there. But, anyways, my name is Summer. Pokèmon Ranger. This was my first mission with Ben. And I was already having fun!

"Yeah! These Z.Z. Flyers are amazing." I heard a voice nearby. I swerved to the right, and noticed two people standing on UFO type things. I assumed those were the Z.Z. Flyers. They were chasing a Pokèmon.

"Keep your mind on the job! This Latias doesn't know how to give up." The girl of the duo growled. So that was what they were chasing.

"Well, I'll tell it! Give up!" The guy yelled. Wow. Short temper.

"Hey! Leave Latias alone!" I shouted. They whipped around to face me. I smirked at their astonished faces.

"Who are you?" The guy asked. I rolled my eyes. Couldn't he tell? Ugh, people these days. The girl got it though.

"Red goggles, yellow scarf..." She trailed off. "She's a Pokèmon Ranger!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Took you long enough." I taunted. The boy scowled at me.

"We don't need any Rangers interfering in our plans!" He declared. "So I'll just shoot you out of the sky!"

"Try me." I smirked. He sent an array of green and pink orbs at me, but I dodged every one of them. My attacker looked surprised, but then he glared at me.

"You're good. I'll admit that much. But can you handle our double attack?" The girl smirked. They bothsent several more orbs at me. I managed to dodge all but one. My arm stung where the one pink orb had made contact with my bare skin. Great. Another scar to explain to Ben. Which means more scolding for my recklessness.

"My battery's dead!" The guy gasped. The girl nodded in agreement. "Your's too?"

"Yeah. Guess we'll have to ram her." She decided. I braced myself for impact. But I wasn't really all that worried. Ben should catch up any minute now...

"Hey! Let's make this a fair fight!" A familiar voice shouted from behind me. I grinned and moved out of the way as my partner flew in beside me.

"About time." I laughed. "I've been sitting here dodging plasma orbs while I was waiting."

"Something tells me you didn't manage to dodge them all." Ben smirked, although his eyes showed he was worried. I glanced back at my arm. Seeing the burn, I grimaced at its severity. I had to admit, this was one of my worst injuries yet. Surprisingly, there was a little bit of blood. I could understand Ben's worry. Burns don't usually bleed.

"I tried." I shrugged. "I'm guessing these are the Pinchers we're looking for."

"The Plasma Cannons stop working, Rangers keep popping up. I think now would be a good time to flee!" The female Pincher declared. "Not to mention we've lost Latias."

"Now, there's no need for that." A calm voice reprimanded. A man on a red Z.Z. Flyer came into view. He had blond hair with a red streak to match his eyes. "We have one more on our side now."

"Leader! These two are Pokèmon Rangers!" The guy pointed out. He said that like it wa ether worst thing in the world.

"I can see that." The leader said, a amused smile appearing on his face. "But I've never seen flying Rangers before."

"Who are you?" I demanded. "And what do you want?"

"The name's Red Eyes." He informed. "And, to answer your second question, I can't tell you. I don't have time to deal with a couple of brats."

"Brats! We're Pokèmon Rangers! Not the leader of a group who can't handle a couple of 'brats'!" Ben shouted. He hated being called bad names. Red Eyes frowned angrily at him.

"You really should respect me. I have the perfect game for a rude brat like you." He growled. I felt dread coursing through me. What was he planning? "Sky diving... without a parachute!"

"Huh?" Ben didn't get it. But I did. Red Eyes sent a multicolored orb towards my partner. A large one. If it were to hit him... he would be knocked into the sea.

"BEN!" Without thinking, I swerved in front of my partner. I felt immense pain when the orb made contact. I was knocked off Staraptor, who flew away in fright. Before long, I hit the water, and everything went black...

(Ben's POV)

"Brats! We're Pokèmon Rangers! Not the leader of a group who can't handle a couple of 'brats'!" I shouted. I hated being called bad names. Red Eyes frowned angrily at me. But I could care less. Not only had he insulted me, he had insulted Summer too!

"You really should respect me. I have the perfect game for a rude brat like you." He growled. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant. What was he planning? "Sky diving... without a parachute!"

"Huh?" I was really confused now. Then everything seemed to happen at once. I was half aware of the plasma orbs heading my way. But then Summer cryed out my name, and swerved in front of was a flash of light, and she wasn't there anymore. I looked around wildly for my partner. Where was she?

"That was quite noble. Sacrificing herself to save you. You must have meant a lot to her." Red Eyes sighed in mock pity. "It's a shame. Too bad she had to fall to her death in the ocean."

"NO!" I shouted. I looked down at the ocean. There was no sign of her. This couldn't be happening. Summer had to be okay! But she was nowhere to be found. "No..."

"I would feel sorry for you... but what's the use? You do seem lucky, though." He continued. I felt tears spring to my eyes. Summer... she couldn't be... why wasn't it me? I hardly noticed the two other Pinchers surrounding me. "We could use a lucky charm."

They grabbed me. I didn't bother struggling. What was the use? I had lost my partner, my best friend. She was gone. And it was my fault. All my fault...

"Leader, he isn't struggling." The male of the duo informed Red Eyes. Were they going to send me hurtling into the cold, unforgiving ocean as well? At least I would be with Summer.

"We shouldn't risk it. Knock him out." They had no plans to kill me. They were going to make me suffer. Suffer without Summer. I felt something hard come in contact with my head, and everything went black...

**A/N: Hi! I hoped you liked the first chapter! This isn't going to follow the game exactly. I'm changing several things. It will swap between Summer and Ben narrating. It will be Obliviashipping. Because I love the shipping! I will try to update as fast as I can. It's summer, so I have plenty of free time. So, read and review! :)**

**- Akozu Heiwa**


	2. Welcome to Renbow Island!

(Summer's POV)

What... happened? I sat up groggily. Looking around, I noticed I was on a beach. The sand felt warm. But my head HURT. It was like I fell out of the sky...

"Current Location... Dolce Island. Oblivia Region... zzz... seawater... zzz... has penetrated the... zzz... system." Voice Nav. informed me. Voice Nav. was the automated info system programmed onto my Styler. It came in handy. When it wasn't malfunctioning.

"How in the world did seawater get into my Styler?" I wondered aloud. Then I remembered. The Pokèmon Pinchers. Red Eyes shooting at Ben. Me taking the hit. Well, that would explain why it felt like I had fallen out of the sky. But I was worried for my partner. Was he alright? Did he escape? Or was he shot down just like me? Or worse, taken prisoner.

"Please confirm this Styler is yours by entering your name." Voice Nav. requested. Really? "Please confirm this Styler is–"

"I get it. My name is Summer." I reminded it. I glanced around. I had already established that I was on a beach. There a few palm trees here and there. And a path that led further into the island. Getting up, I limped over to the trail. Nothing was broken, thankfully, but I was sore all over. Deeper inland, there were more trees. I reached a clearing. It was near a hollow tree stump.

"Pichu!" I spun around to face the angered voice. It came from an adorable little Pichu! It even had a little ukulele on its back! But it also looked very agitated. Which wasn't a good thing.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" I asked it. That obviously didn't help. The Pokèmon sent a blast of electricity my way. I barely managed to dodge. "H-hey! Knock it off!"

"Chu..." It growled. I quickly help out my Capture Styler.

"Let's hope this works." I grimaced. With it malfunctioning so much, I couldn't get my hopes up. "Capture on!"

I managed to capture it, although I did get hit with a bolt of electricity. This Pichu was stronger than it looked. But it was my friend now. It let out a tiny burst of electricity, making the ukulele sound a few notes. I smiled. It was as if Pichu was playing! I couldn't wait to show... Ben... I missed him so much. I wasn't sure what had happened to him. All I knew was that it probably wasn't good. Pichu seemed to notice my sudden change in mood.

"Pi chu?" It crept forward cautiously and tugged at my sock. I crouched down, and patted it on its head. It played a few more notes on the ukulele. I gave it a smile to show that it had cheered me up. It let out a satisfied squeak.

"Pichu? Is that you?" I stood up, and Pichu ran up to a man who had just walked into the clearing. "Ah, it is you! Where are your friends?"

"Pichu! Pichu Pi pichu!" The Pokèmon was obviously trying to explain something. It ran to a bush, then jumped out. It then ran around as if being chased. I tryed to think of what it could be acting out. Chased... and then disappeared... could it have been the Pinchers?

"Woah, now, Pichu. I can't understand ya." The man laughed. Then he noticed me. Thank goodness. I was getting sick of being ignored. "Now who's this?"

"I'm Summer. A Pokèmon Ranger." I greeted. Pichu ran over and hugged my leg. I smiled at it. "I just washed up on the island."

"Well, looks like Ukulele Pichu has taken a liking to ya." He grinned. "The name's Booker. Mind explaining what you mean by washed up?"

"You see... well, it's a long story." I mumbled. I really wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. My imagination had left me with several worst case scenarios. All of which just made me more worried. Ben was my partner, my best friend. I couldn't lose him. I would never admit it, but I actually kinda liked him. As in really, actually, like. More than a friend.

"Perhaps we should head back to Renbow Island then. My house is more suited for long stories than this wilderness." Booker started walking back the direction he'd came. "C'mon. I have a boat this way."

"Alright. You coming, Pichu?" I asked. It was still clinging to my leg. It gave me an eexcited cry and climbed onto my shoulder. "Okay then. Let's go!"

...

(Ben's POV)

I groaned. My head hurt really bad. I could barely remember what happened. I opened my eyes to look around at my surroundings, but was met by darkness. Why couldn't I see anything? I tried to move my arms, but found that I couldn't. It was like I was tied up. Kidnapped or... oh, yeah. Now I remembered. Summer... I tried to think of there being a possibility of her safety. But falling out of the sky usually didn't result in good things.

"I see your awake." I turned my head towards the voice. "You probably hate us all now. After all, I am the one who shot your girlfriend out of the sky."

"Red Eyes." I growled. His voice didn't have any trace of regret. Or even pity. He acted like it was a necessary sacrifice that didn't affect anyone. Well, he was wrong. Summer meant the world to me. She is– or was– everything to me. "Where am I?"

"Can't tell you. Although there is no way to escape one your own... there is a slim chance your girlfriend survived." He informed me. Summer could be okay! "But don't get your hopes up. It's highly unlikely. We were hundreds of feet in the air. Even if she survived the fall, she would have drowned."

"It should've been me." I muttered.

"Yes, it should have." Red Eyes agreed. "But your little girlfriend cared too much about you to let you die. It's a shame. You seemed so close."

I wanted to cry. I wanted to attack this man, this evil person who shot my Summer out of there sky.I wanted to at least avenge her sacrifice. She did it to save me, but here I was, in enemy hands. And I would never, ever see her again. But I couldn't do anything. I was tied up, blindfolded, and most likely locked in some cell. I was useless.

"But you had better hope we have some use for you." Red Eyes continued. "We don't need prisoners."

I heard the door slam shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My thoughts of Summer, of the seemingly neverending sorrow that came with her sacrifice. I wondered if he would kill me. I doubted it would be painless. He would torture me, try to get information. I won't give him any.

That defiance would be my one way to make Summer's death worth something. And when I see her again, I can tell her I didn't let her die in vain.

...

(Summer's POV)

"Welcome to Renbow Island!" Booker exclaimed as he docked the boat. He'd actually lost his first one. Forgot to tie it up. It sounded like something I would do. Luckily, he had a spare. It was a short voyage. Booker pointed to a large house near shore. "That's my house."

"It's... really big." I stated. Leave it to me to point out the obvious. Booker nodded. "So you live there?"

"Yep." He grinned. We walked inside the house, and were immediately greeted by a young boy with green hair. Well, actually, he just ran up to us and started babbling nonsense.

"Hi Boss! Who's this? Oh no, could it be? I wasn't living up to your expectations, so you found a new apprentice to replace me! And now your going to abandon me!" He gasped. I looked at him quizzically.

"This is Nick." Booker sighed. "No, Nick, I am not replacing you. Stop your daydreaming. Or daynightmaring, I guess. Summer, why don't you explain everything."

"Okay. So, my partner, Ben, and I were flying over Oblivia. We had just received a mission– to stop the Pokèmon Pinchers. I flew ahead, and caught sight of them. They attacked me, but I managed to dodge all but one." I paused to show them the painful burn on my arm. It was still stinging from my fall into the ocean. The saltwater wasn't good for it. "Then Ben showed up. The Pinchers were going to flee, but their leader arrived. He insulted us, so Ben, being Ben, insulted him back. The leader shot at him... but I intercepted the blow. I... I don't know what happened to Ben."

"Ah. I see." Booker looked at me sympathetically. "That's hard."

"You say you don't know what happened to your partner? Oh no! Could it be?" Nick started. There he goes again. "They've got him tied up in some cell, and are torturing him and slowly killing–"

"Shut up! Don't say things like that!" I interrupted. Tears sprang to my eyes. What if he was right? I couldn't bear the thought of Ben lying bloody and beaten in some cell, just waiting for it all to end. It was too horrible. "I'm already worried enough."

"S-sorry." Nick apologized. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you." I smiled at him encouragingly. "Ben will be fine."

I was more encouraging myself than Nick. Ben was the boy who ran into danger at every corner. He was hopefully still alive now. And if he wasn't... I would never forgive myself.

"Hey, where'd Pichu go?" Booker asked, effectively changing the subject. I looked around. It certainly wasn't here. Before I could do or say anything, a boy barged into the room.

"Booker, the UFO's are back!" He informed. UFO? Did he mean he Z.Z. Flyers? Here? Well, I shouldn't be surprised. I had to find out where they were!

"Where?" I demanded. The boy looked surprised by my presence. "Where are they?"

"Um... down at Rasp Cavern, miss." He stated. I was about to run after them, when I realized I had no idea where Rasp Cavern was

"Ralph, Summer is a Pokèmon Ranger. Can you possibly take her to them?" Booker requested. The boy, Ralph, nodded.

"Sure thing, Booker!" He agreed. "So, Summer, what brings you to Oblivia?"

"Well... you guys have only got one area ranger, and there are some bad guys... so, Hastings sent me and my partner..." I trailed off at the mention of Ben. He could be locked in some cell, injured and miserable, while I'm here. Safe and protected.

"Well, where's your partner?" He asked. Then he noticed my downcast expression. "Oh. Something happened... didn't it? I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's my fault. I should've... I dunno... helped him." I sighed. Booker gave me a reassuring smile.

"If ya hadn't intercepted the blow, he'd probably be dead right now. Yoh did your best, Summer. I'm sure Ben doesn't blame you." He assured me. "If anything, he's probably more worried about you."

"Thanks, Booker." I looked towards Ralph determinedly. "Let's go beat up some Pinchers!"

"Let's." He grinned. I followed him out the door and into a forest. I caught sight of some Pinchers. I signaled to Ralph, and we hid in a bush.

"How do you think everything is going in the cave?" One of them asked. The other shrugged. "Why did we have to be guards? Nobody'll disturb us."

"Pichu!" As if on cue, Ukulele Pichu burst into the clearing. I could tell it was mad. Which confirmed my suspicions. The Pinchers did take Pichu's friends!

"What's this little guy doing here?" The guy of the guard duo asked. Pichu took this as an opportunity to try and dart into the cave. But the girl caught him.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" She shouted. Pichu ignored them, and actually shocked them both. They fell to the ground, unconscious. I grinned, and Ralph and I ran into the clearing.

"Way to go, Pichu!" I shouted. "I understand now. We'll find your friends. And we'll find Ben."

"You mean your partner?" Ralph asked. I just laughed.

"Way to ruin the moment Ralph." I smirked. "These Pinchers are going down!"

**A/N: Hi again! I'm back. I think this is the quickest I have ever updated a story. I hope it's not too rushed. I will eventually do longer chapters. Hopefully. That, or this will be a very long story. Like, really long. I don't want to keep you all waiting too long. Special thanks to my first reviewer, XashXdawnX. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Read and Review! :D**


	3. Rasp Cavern

(Summer's POV)

We charged into the cave. I felt ready for anything, especially with Pichu on my side. We came across two more Pinchers in the cave. They were using some strange device on a monument. Why, I did not know.

"Hey! What are you two doing?" I demanded. They whipped around to face me. "Yes. That's right. I'm a Pokèmon Ranger."

"What? You, finish getting the emblem." One of them ordered. The other continued doing what they were doing before. "I'll take care of this."

"Good luck." I smirked. "Hope Red Eyes doesn't fire you after I beat you!"

"Don't be so arrogant." Ralph warned. I, obviously, ignored him. A Cranidos stomped towards me. "Summer–"

"I got this. No worries." I assured. I held out my Styler. "Capture on!"

I was actually doing really well. What surprised me, however, was when Pichu jumped in halfway through the Capture. It started playing its ukulele. And it actually helped me out. The Cranidos Asa's capture in no time.

"Yeah! Way to go, Summer and Pichu!" Ralph cheered. I grinned, and gave him a thumbs up. "You beat him! Great job!"

"How did you... you're something else." The Pincher stuttered. I shrugged modestly, and pointed to Pichu.

"Pichu helped too." I reminded him. "But thanks."

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Finish the job." The other Pincher walked over. "Kid, even if you are a Ranger, there's no reason for you to be here."

"Are you trying to talk me out of defeating you?" I asked, slightly amused. "Because it's not working. Seriously, I'm gonna defeat you anyway."

"Actually, I was just distracting you. We got what we came for. Bye." He smirked, hopping on a Z.Z. Flyer. His partner followed. "Red Eyes is going to love hearing about this."

"Wait!" I called. They might know about Ben. "Stop!"

"Sorry, bye!" One of them exclaimed. With that they flew off. I lost my chance at finding him. I hoped it wasn't my only chance.

...

(Ben's POV)

The neverending darkness was getting to my head. All I could think about was how much I missed Summer. I tried my best, though, to figure out their plans. I could hear their conversations. I couldn't understand all of it, but I knew it had something to do with the legendary bird Pokèmon.

They had broken my Styler. I had no way of even trying to contact Summer. If she was even alive, that is. I did manage to attach a homing device. If I ever were to be rescued, we'd be able to find their base.

"Did you get the emblem?" I heard Red Eyes voice from nearby. "No problems?"

"We do have the emblem, sir. But there was a Ranger trying to stop us." Another voice informed. A Ranger? Could it be Summer?

"A Ranger you say?" Red Eyes asked. "Was it the area Ranger from this region?"

"No sir. It was a girl." A girl! It had to be Summer! Unless Professor Hastings sent Kate or Solana because he heard what had happened. But I had no way to contact him, and if Summer really was... dead, he would have no way of knowing. I was definitely going to be optimistic here. It had to be Summer!

"A girl? But I shot her out of the sky. Are you sure it was a Ranger?" Red Eyes didn't seem too happy about Summer being okay.

"Yes sir. Her outfit was different. But she was a Ranger. She did the whole circle capture thing." Another voice. Circle capture thing? Really? But at least I had more hope of it being Summer. I heard a door open.

"Well, Ranger, it looks like your girlfriend may be okay." Red Eyes sounded closer now. "And I think she's looking for you. We'll just have to crush her hope then won't we?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Crush her hope? What in the world? "What are you going to do to Summer?"

"Oh, nothing. As long as she believes you're alive, she'll keep looking. And she may eventually find you. But let's say she thinks you're dead. Then what?" Red Eyes plan was not good. Summer would be devastated. "Then she gives up."

"Summer wouldn't give up! Even if you killed me for real! She's stronger than you think. If anything, she may try to get revenge!" I shouted. It was true. She would still complete our mission, even without me. "So good luck breaking her spirit."

"Yes, well. We won't need it." Red Eyes added nonchalantly. "We've got everything under control."

...

(Summer's POV)

It was a rather... interesting journey back to Booker's house. Pichu was running around, really excited it was able to help. And then it tripped. Backwards. And broke its ukulele. Wonderful, right? And so it cried the rest of the way. Bye the time Ralph and I got back to Booker's, we had massive headaches.

"Booker, can you PLEASE fix Pichu's ukulele?" I requested. Pichu was driving me insane with all of its crying. "Pichu is miserable. I am miserable. Ralph is miserable. So, please, do us a favor and fix it."

"I can fix it." Booker began. I relaxed, relieved to be able to escape this constant noise. "But... I need a special wood from Dolce Island."

So much for that.

"Hey! I can show Summer where to get it!" Nick exclaimed. "That way, she won't get lost. And then we'd never see her again! And poor Pichu would go on being miserable. And I would feel guilty cause I didn't help you. And–"

"Nick. Are we going or not?" I interrupted. "Because I'd like to get there TODAY."

"Right. Sorry." Nick apologized. He led me to a boat, that took us to Dolce Island. Then he brought me to the hollowed out tree stump where I'd first met Pichu. "It's in there. Here I'll get it."

"Alright." He jumped into the large stump. I heard him looking around, and complaining about the lack of light. He had to be the most negative person in the world. Suddenly, he popped out.

"Got it!" I had to laugh at his enthusiasm. For once, he was being positive. And then, out jumped about eight Sunkern. "Oh. Whoops. I must have stepped on them while they were sleeping. And now they're out for revenge! Oh no! Summer, watch out."

So much for being positive.

I managed to catch them in one loop. Nick was relieved to see that he didn't cause too much trouble for me. I rollled my eyes. Maybe if he complained less... oh, never mind. We returned to Renbow Island, and Booker quickly fixed Pichu's ukulele. Pichu was ecstatic.

"Pi chuu!" It exclaimed. It played its song for us, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, aren't ya gonna thank Summer and Nick for their hard work?" Booker scolded. Pichu ran over and hugged my leg again. I picked it up.

"Aw. There's no need to thank me." I grinned. "Its my job to help out."

"Hey! This is a Mission Clear, right?" Nick asked. I nodded. "Can you do your pose?"

"Alright. Mission Clear!" I shouted, twirling around into my final pose. I always thought my pose was the best. When Ben was perfecting his, he had actually broken his leg! From then on, when he was practicing, I always told him, 'Break a leg!' I perfected mine in a day, no injuries.

"Nice!" Nick complimented. "You should go explore town, you know. Ralph can be your guide."

"Yeah! C'mon, I should show you Celebi's monument!" Ralph invited. "It'll be fun."

"Alright, then. You two have fun." Booker smiled. "See ya later."

**Hi! Wow, another fast update. Thanks to my reviewers XashXdawnX and PrincessofDestiny14. I appreciate all of you who are reading this story! I will hopefully get another chapter up soon! Read and Review! **


	4. Celebi!

(Summer's POV)

"Hey! What's going on!" Ralph shouted. We had just arrived at Celebi's monument. And it was glowing. Not what I expected. But not what Ralph expected either. "Why is it glowing?"

"I... don't know." One man declared. Suddenly the light moved. Towards me. I froze. Everyone else ran away in several directions. The light dimmed, and in its place was Celebi. It circled around me excitedly.

"Bi bi!" It exclaimed. It seemed extremely happy to see me, as if I were some hero it had been waiting for. Suddenly, it started glowing again. Except this time it was bigger. And it lifted me off the ground.

"H-hey! Celebi, what's going on?" I gasped in surprised. The world around me started to fade. "Celebi!"

Suddenly, I was no longer standing in the worn down ruins, but a newer, yet familiar place. There was a boy, about my age, standing there. He had blonde hair and wore strange clothes that I could only deem as ancient. He seemed surprised to see me.

"Celebi! Did you bring this girl here?" Celebi circled around me more. "Celebi! You brought her from the future, didn't you? I'm sorry, miss. My name's Ravio."

"I'm Summer." I smiled. He seemed like a pretty nice boy. "I'm a Pokèmon Ranger."

"A Pokèmon Ranger? What is that?" He looked at me, eyes wide with curiosity. He seemed pretty naive, too. "Do you mind telling me? Tell me everything, okay?"

"Alright. Let's see, how would Ben put it? Oh yeah! A Pokèmon Ranger has one job, and ne job only!" I started enthusiastically. Exactly like my partner. Ravio looked at me eagerly. "Protecting peace and justice for people and Pokèmon!"

"Wow... That is so cool!" Ravio exclaimed. "Tell me more. Like why and how you're here. Celebi usually doesn't bring just anyone."

"Well... I guess it all started when me and my partner, Ben, were flying over Oblivia. I had accidently ditched him. I caught up with some bad guys, and they tried to shoot me down. I dodged most of their attacks." I explained. I moved my arm so that the young boy could see the burn. "Still hurts. Anyway, then Ben showed up. The bad guys, called Pinchers, were going to flee. But then their leader came. He insulted us. So Ben, being who he is, started insulting Red Eyes, the leader. Red Eyes tryed to shoot Ben out of the sky."

"Oh no!" Ravio gasped. I took in a shaky breath at the memory. "Then what?"

"I got in the way." I saw the boy's eyes widen in fear and astonishment. "I took the full brunt of the attack, and next thing I know, I'm on an island. That's where I met Pichu. And Booker. He took me back to his house, and we talked. And then I went after the Pinchers again. But I still don't know where Ben is. Or if he's okay."

"I'm sure your partner is okay! He has to be!" Ravio exclaimed. "Besides, there will be more chances to find out."

"Yeah. So, later, Ralph, a boy from the village, took me on a tour. When we came to Celebi's monument, it was glowing. Then Celebi showed up and brought me here." I finished. "That's pretty much it."

"Woah. You've been through a lot. But you need to get back, don't you?" He asked. I nodded. "Celebi will bring you home. Thanks for sharing with me. I guess... this is goodbye."

"We'll see each other again. Someday." I assured him. The world was already starting to fade. "And, hey, maybe then I will introduce you to Ben!"

"I'd like that!" Ravio called. "Bye, Summer!"

"Goodbye. Ravio." Before I knew it, I was back in the present. The others ran up as soon as the light dispersed, and soon I was surrounded by worried villagers.

"Summer! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Ralph asked. I shook my head. "Good. Come on, Booker must be finished with Pichu's ukulele."

As we headed back to Booker's house, my mind was fillled with several different thoughts. There had been something different about that boy, Ravio. He listened to, and even seemed to understand, my situation. I had a feeling I would be meeting him again in the future. Or past, I guess. And then there was Ben. I kept trying to convince myself he was fine. He was okay. But for some reason, I refused to believe myself. Most things reminded me of Ben now. Looking up at the sky reminded me of when I last saw him. But looking at the ground reminded me that Red Eyes tryed to shoot him out of the sky. There was no escape.

By the time we reached Booker's house, I was rather miserable. And it wasn't may fault, really. But Pichu managed to cheer me up, playing its song. But I couldn't help but wonder, what was in my future?

Because, at the moment, I wasn't so sure.

...

(Ben's POV)

"Um, Red Eyes, sir? Should we loosen the rope some? The prisoner looks uncomfortable." I heard one of the Pinchers ask. That had to be the one that was assigned to guard me. She was probably the nicest one here. Red Eyes wasn't in the room at the moment. I knew because she was talking to him through an electronic device.

"No! We do not show compassion to our enemies..." Red Eyes voice trailed off, most likely trying to remember her name. She sighed.

"He may be our leader, but he is horrible at remembering names." She chuckled. The statement was directed to me. I appreciated having someone to talk to who wasn't taunoting me about Summer. "Erin, sir."

"Yes. Erin. We do not show compassion to our enemies." Red Eyes ordered. "Just guard him. If he tries to escape, the whip is in the corner."

"Yes sir." Erin replied. I heard a click, and suspectes that she had turned off whatever device she had on. "There is no whip."

"Yeah, I figured." I heard Erin chuckle again, before suddenly the darkness was replaced by dim light. I looked around. I could see again!

"There we go. No more blindfold. At least until I hear someone coming." I looked up to see a young woman, probably eighteen years old, hovering over me. She had blonde hair, and blue eyes. She wore a cap that concealed most of her hair, but I could see blue parts sticking out. I noticed she had a worn scar across her forehead. "The only reason I work for these dopes is because my sister does."

"Well, who's your sister?" I asked. She didn't seem to be related to any of the lower class Pinchers. She had a different outfit.

"Her real name is Jen." Erin started. "But everyone here just calls her Blue Eyes."

...

(Summer's POV)

"Ya know, if you need your Styler fixed, Rand's daughter could do it." Booker informed me. Rand was the Oblivia Region area Ranger. I had no idea he had a daughter. "Her name is Nema."

"Nema? Huh. Well, I'll go find her then." I grinned. It couldn't be that hard. And it would be a way to kill time. "Hey, while I'm at it, I can look for Rand. I kinda need to find him."

"Alright then. Have fun." Booker smiled. I was about to leave, but then Pichu took a hold of my leg. And it held on tight. I stopped, and looked back at it. It looked up with huge, adorable, sad eyes. "Looks like Pichu wants ya to stay."

"Well, Pichu. Would you like to be my partner?" I requested. It could help me. And it was just so cute! It nodded eagerly. "It's decided! Welcome to the team, Pichu."

"Pi Pichu!" It exclaimed. It played a few notes on ukulele. I grinned at my new partner. Pichu could help me find Ben, and I would help find its friends. And it would cheer me up.

Because I was about to really need it.

**A/N: I hope this isn't too rushed. Two chapters in one day! I am proud of myself! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I hope you don't mind the OC. She's not going to be a big character. And, NO, Summer doesn't have any competition. ;) Read and review! ... Why do I say that at the end of the chapter, after you've read? It makes no sense. XD I appreciate your encouragement. And any constructive criticism. Until next time!**


	5. Finding Rand

(Summer's POV)

I walked along the shore, looking carefully for the the young girl Booker described. Green hair... green hair... who has green hair? I never would have expected that. I thought Rand had blueish hair? It had been so long since I'd last seen him. He was friends with my father. But I was ten last time I saw him. That was five years ago. He left to be an area Ranger in Oblivia.

"Hey! Hey, you!" I spun around to face the speaker. She had short green hair and glasses. Wait... green hair! "Hello?"

"Nema?" I ventured cautiously. The girl looked at me quizzically. "Are you Rand's daughter?"

"Um, yeah. That's me." She confirmed. "Anyway, I have a request!"

"A... request?" Perhaps she meant quest. Or mission. But a request? What in the world did she mean? "What do you mean?"

"Silly! On this island, there's a rule. Where you have to grant three requests to any girl younger than you!" Nema explained. "I'm ten. You're obviously older than me. So you have to grant me three requests!"

"Um... okay? What do you need me to do?" I asked. "Some cool Ranger thing?"

"I need you to retrieve the UFO that fell into the ocean." She explained. Huh. Wonder how that happened. I thought the Pinchers were more careful than that. "Can you do that?"

"Huh? Oh, sure!" I agreed. I pulled my goggles over my eyes, and turned on my Micro AquaLung. Or at least I think that's what it's called. I waded as deep as I could, then dived under. Very soon, I came across a sunken Z.Z. Flyer. I dragged it back to shore. "Here you go!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She grinned. "This isn't a UFO at all. It says Z.Z. Flyer 026."

"Yeah, I kinda figured." I laughed. "Can you take me to your Dad?"

"Sure! Oh, and for my second request, can you carry this to my house?" Nema asked. I rolled my eyes, and nodded. "Great! Thanks!"

It was a short walk to Rand's house, but Nema manages to talk the entire time. I don't think I'll ever want to here the word 'robot' again. Nema explained the entire history of them. We did run into a few Pinchers, but they were too terrified to fight me. I could tell when we got to Rand's, because of the Ranger logo on his lawn. I took it Rand wasn't home, because the left corner of the house was on fire.

"My house is on fire! That explosion was my house!" Nema screamed. We had heard an explosion while fighting the Pinchers... "Ranger! My third request! Put out the fire!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I quickly captured two water types, and had them put out the fire. It wasn't as hard as it looked, actually.

"Oh, thank you Ran–"

"Summer." I corrected. I would prefer the young scientist call me by name. "Just call me Summer."

"Right. Summer. Thank you! This happens a lot, but usually I'm home!" Nema exclaimed. " One of my machines must have malfunctioned..."

"It's fine. Is your dad home?" I asked. I really needed to find Rand! Unfortunately, Nema shook her head. "Seriously?"

"Sorry. He went to the Wireless Tower. But I can take you–"

"I'll go alone, thank you. Rand obviously left you here for a reason. Maybe you could patch up the house?" I suggested. Nema pouted a little, but eventually nodded. I took off for Wireless Tower. I had a map on my Styler. I had to climb the tower. But it was actually easy. Relatively. I almost fell off. Twice. But soon I mad it to the top. Rand was up there. And so was a blue eyed, blonde haired woman. Well, young woman. She couldn't be older than twenty.

"Rand!" I shouted, making my presence known. The Ranger turned to face me, and his eyes lit up in recognition. But he didn't look too happy to see me. "Hey!"

"Summer! What are you doing here? It's dangerous!" He yelled. I forgot to mention that he may be more overprotective than my father. Which is saying something.

"You're the Ranger Girl Red Eyes shot down." The woman growled. "The name is Blue Eyes."

"Where is Ben?" I growled. She might know. If only she'd tell me. "Where is he!"

"Who? Oh. The boy. Ask Red Eyes. I don't know." Blue Eyes glanced at her assistant. "Erin, take care of her."

"Yes, J– Blue Eyes." The girl walked over to me, and I saw that she looked a lot like her leader. "Summer, right? I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?"

"About Ben. I knew him."

And then, with one look back at Blue Eyes, she left. I noticed Blue Eyes watch her with a sympathetic look. But that wasn't what worried me. Theh did have Ben! But the girl, Erin. She said she knew him. Past tense. And that's worried me.

"She always has been the one for mercy." Blue Eyes sighed. "We're done here."

"Get back here!" Rand shouted as Blue Eyes sped away. Then he looked at me. "Summer, it was dangerous coming here. And who is Ben?"

"My partner..." I stated. "He was captured."

"Oh..." If Rand was going to say something more, he was cut off by a roar. A Raikou suddenly jumped into sight. "Summer! Look out!"

The Raikou sprang to attack, and I whipped out my Styler. It took me forever, but I finally caught thebenraged legendary. Suddenly there was a bright light. And I saw something. A symbol, that looked like an hourglass. An emblem.

"Please enter the emblem into your Styler." Voice Nav. ordered. I subconsciously did as I was told. Soon the light subsided, and I found myself sitting with Rand at the base of the tower.

"Summer! Are you alright?" Rand asked, worried for my safety. I nodded. "Did you see that?"

"If you mean the emblem, then yes." I frowned. What did it mean? But one look at Rand's confused face told me he hadn't seen the emblem. "You didn't see it..."

"No... Let's get back to my place. Leanne should be able to explain." We began walking across the bridge that led towards Rand's house. But then someone appeared. Someone I recognized.

"Red Eyes!" I growled. He smirked. "Where is Ben?"

"You mean the Ranger boy?" He asked. "Ah, he was a fighter. We tried all forms of torture we could think of. But in the end... he just wouldn't give us any information."

"No..." I muttered. "You didn't..."

"I'm sorry, Ranger." Red Eyes looked at me with mock sympathy. "We had no use for a prisoner. But don't worry. His death was painless. It was the least we could do after torturing so much."

"NO!" I lunged at Red Eyes. He killed him! He killed my best friend, my partner. I never even got to tell him how I felt... Red Eyes hopped onto his Z.Z. Flyer, and smirked as a face planted into the bridge. I looked up angrily. He tossed a bunch of Voltorbs onto the bridge. I covered my head as they all exploded around me. When I looked up next, Red Eyes was gone. I sort of just sat there in shock for a few minutes. Ben was gone... I would never see him again. Then the tears came. Rand put a comforting arm around me.

"It'll be okay." Rand soothed. "I am so sorry."

"He's dead, Rand." I choked out. "He gone... and it's all my fault. He's never coming back."

"He'll always be with you, Summer. No matter what." He pulled me up. "Now let's get back."

As we were leaving, I thought a I heard a voice. It could have been my imagination. But as I turned back, I caught a glimpse of blonde hair in the bushes. And I heard the voice saying, "I'm so sorry, Summer. Forgive me."

...

(Ben's POV)

I was aware that Erin had returned when she slammed the door shut. The blindfold was removed from my eyes, and I could tell she had recently been crying.

"I HATE RED EYES!" She shouted. "He ruined my life. He ruined your life. And Summer... Poor Summer. I saw her crying. Red Eyes told her you were dead. She was devestated."

"I wish I could find her. Tell her I'm okay." I sighed. "So she would feel better."

"Ben, it's worse. Red Eyes is going to kill you! For real!" Erin exclaimed. "You have to get out."

"How?" I asked. "How am I supposed to get out?"

"We have a plan. Jen came up with it." Jen? She was one of their leaders. Why would she help me? "It's foolproof."

"Foolproof, maybe. Easy... not so much." I looked up. Standing in the doorway was a blue eyed, blonde haired woman who could be Erin's twin. Except for the age difference. "I never expected this out of Red Eyes."

"Jen has a crush on him." Erin whispered to me. The older girl overheard, and I noticed that she was blushing. "That's why she joined the Pinchers."

"That's not true!" Jen stuttered. "I do not like that arrogant, hot headed, stupid, cute, dreamy... oh, what does it matter. I can't let him kill an innocent human being!"

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "How are we gonna do it?"

"I'm going to be captured by your girlfriend. Red Eyes will want me back, and so he'll trade. You for me. It's simple. Just be careful. I don't know what Red Eyes will do." The blue eyed leader explained. "Erin will make sure everything is going a as planned."

"And if it doesn't, we have a special communication device. I can let her know." Erin grinned. "All you have to do is not give it away."

"That'll be easy." I shrugged. "No problem."

"Avoid eating or drinking anything Erin doesn't bring you." Jen warned. "In fact, don't trust anyone but me and Erin."

"Alright." I nodded. "Why are you helping me?"

Erin and her sister exchanged glances that had to mean something. I had noted the worry in Jen's eyes as she talked about the plan. I could vaguely recognize them from somewhere. But where?

"Because... I was friends with your mother."

**A/N: Dun dun dun! When it's in Ben's point of view, Blue Eyes will be referred to as Jen. This is a relatively longer chapter. Sorta. I've had a request to put in some Red Eyes/Blue Eyes. So, yeah, I did. Hey, and I'll give I special shout out to whoever can guess who was talking to Summer! It actually isn't that hard, but... Yeah, I have been waiting for a chance to do something like that... Yeah... Anyways, thanks to my reviewers! I hope you liked the chapter! Until next chapter!**


	6. The Plan

(Summer's POV)

"Summer... are you okay? You've been really quiet." Nema asked me. It was nighttime now. I was staying in the guest room at Rand's. Nema couldn't sleep, so she came to talk to me. "I... Papa never told me what happened."

"Did I ever tell you about my partner?" I asked. The younger girl shook her head.

"Tell me?"

"Well, his name was Ben. He had brown hair, like mine. And it was always wind blown. He had red goggles, and a yellow scarf. Just like me. And he had warm brown eyes that always made me happy. He loved to talk, and was always looking at the bright side of things. He was nice to everyone. And when he wanted something, he was persistant. Or stubborn. Sometimes he was too stubborn for his own good." My voice wavered, and I took a shaky breath. It was hard to talk about him, when I knew I would never see him again. "He would do anything for those he cared about. Risk his life, even, if it meant saving them."

"Did he care about you?" Nema asked. "And where is he now?"

"He did care." I told her. But what was I supposed to tell her... about his death? "Right now he's in a place where no one can hurt him. Ever again. He's happy there. But I was really sad he had to go. Because I probably won't get to see him for a long time."

"Oh. Your partner seems like a nice boy." Nema stated, smiling up at me. I smiled sadly. "You know, Papa says you're like another daughter to him. So that would make you sorta my sister, right?"

"Yeah... I guess it would." I mumbled. "That's true..."

"Well, sisters stick up for each other. And they help each other out!" Nema ran over and grabbed a machine on the dresser that was in the room. "So I'm gonna help you out! I think I might know what that sign is for. Calling Raikou! So I'm gonna modify your Styler so that you can call it with your Styler."

"Okay." I shrugged. I handed her my Styler, despite Voice Nav.'s orders against 'illegal modification'. In a few seconds, after several explosions– those worried me– Nema handed me back my Styler.

"Ta-da!" Nema exclaimed. "Now let's get to sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."

...

The next morning, Rand and I set off for Tilt Village. Leanne needed some book to figure out the whole sign thing. And I was more than willing to help find it. It would help me get my mind off of Ben. I still couldn't believe it. He was gone. Forever. I was hoping for an easy, Pincher free mission.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. We were crossing the Big Booker Bridge. I went ahead and assumed it was made by Booker. About halfway along the long bridge, we ran into trouble. Two Pinchers, and Red Eyes. Again. Red Eyes spotted me.

"You!" He pointed to the blonde girl from yesterday. The one at the Wireless Tower. "Take care of them!"

"Yes sir!" She exclaimed. Red Eyes and the other Pincher took off. "Um... hi. Summer, right?"

"Yes... how do you know my name?" I asked her suspiciously. "Aren't you going to attack?"

"No! I have special orders from J– Blue Eyes not to attack you." She denied. "My name is Erin. I was– well, am– Ben's guard."

"What do you mean? Ben is dead." Rand did the talking for me. "Do you guard the body?"

"The girl is devastated, and yet you put things so bluntly. How insensitive. And I thought Red Eyes was bad." Erin frowned at the older Ranger. She was right, of course. "Summer. Blue Eyes is looking for Amun's book. At the old mansion."

"Why are you helping us?" I asked. "Why are you telling us your plans?"

"It's the least I can do." She smiled sadly at me. "I'm sorry you had to go through all this. We'll make it right. I promise. I am so sorry."

"Wait..." Those words were familiar... "You were the girl behind the bush!"

"Yes." She affirmed. She hopped on a Z.Z. Flyer. "For now, go back! Red Eyes has planted bombs under the bridge! You had ten seconds. I rigged them so that you have thirty. Go!"

She flew off, and we darted off the bridge. Better safe than sorry. It was a good thing we believed her. Seconds later, several parts of the bridge blew up.

"If she hadn't warned us..." I trailed off. If she hadn't warned us, we would probably be with Ben. "Rand, we need to get Booker to fix the bridge!"

"Good idea." We started back the way we came. Then I remembered. Nema modified my Styler. This was a better chance than any to try it out.

"Rand, wait. I have an idea." I grinned. He stopped, and turned to look at me. I jumped as high as I could, and used my Styler to draw Raikou's sign. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for impact on the hard ground. But that never happened. Instead, I landed on a soft, fluffy cloud? Opening my eyes, I found myself on Raikou. Raikou! "It worked!"

"You're... you're..." Rand was speechless. I grinned from atop the legendary Pokèmon. "That's Raikou!"

"I'm gonna go on ahead. You go get Booker." I ordered. I wasn't used to being the one in charge. But Raikou made me feel like I could control the world if I wanted. Which I didn't.

'Yes. The Ranger and I have got this.' I heard a voice say. I looked around wildly.

"Did you hear that?" I gasped. "Rand?"

"No..."

'I didn't. But I said something. I said, 'Yes. The Ranger and I have got this.' Is that what you heard?' I couldn't help but look down at Raikou. It looked up at me, as if the speaker was the most obvious thing in the world. 'Yes, it's me talking. Me being Raikou, of course.'

...

(Ben's POV)

"You know my Mom?" I searched for any insincerity in Jen's eyes. There was none. She was being completely honest. "How?"

"Thirteen years ago... I was seventeen, Erin was six." Jen started. "I believe you were three. Your father..."

"He left when I was three." I blurted out. I had a horrible childhood. My father abandoned me and my mother. My mother had a disease. She was always sick...

"I know. He had only been gone a few days when I met your mother. She was with you, at the hospital. Getting checked on, I assume. She saw me, and asked if I could watch you for a little while. I, of course, agreed. You were full of energy. I swear I chased you through the entire hospital. When Maya, your mother, came back, we talked for a while. I explained to her our situation. Our father left shortly before Erin was born. Our mom left right after. We lived on the streets. She decided to let us stay at her place, as long as I agreed to take care of you whenever she got sick." She explained. Yes. I remembered this. Except... I didn't remember Jen.

"Then why don't I remember you?" I asked. She sighed. "I should..."

"Four years ago... there was an accident. Well. I say that. But I suspect that someone was out to get you." Suddenly images started flashing through my mind. Erin screaming. Pools of blood. My blood. And pain. Immense pain in my head and side. "The doctors didn't think you were going to make it."

"But I did."

"Yes. You did. You almost didn't. You were in a coma for a month. Later we found out that the injuries shouldn't have done the damage they did. Your doctor tried to kill you." My eyes went wide. Nobody ever told me this. "And then he came to me. One night, he was there, in my room. I... he threatened you. He said, 'You will join me. Or the boy dies.' And then he was gone. The next morning I raced into your room. He'd been there."

"He's the leader of the Pinchers?" I asked. Jen nodded. "Why did he want you?"

"I don't know. But he'd done it again. Tried to kill you. You had a gash in your side. And there was a note. Written in your blood. Telling me to join him. " She paused. "I told your mother. She decided that we should send you to Ranger School. You wouldn't remember anything that had happened, except what people told you. And so I joined the Pinchers. Erin followed me, of course. I never expected he would get his hands on you again."

"So Red Eyes has orders from him to kill me? Why?" I asked. "Did you do something?"

"No. I... don't understand it either. But we have to get you out of here." She frowned. "Before it's too late."

...

(Summer's POV)

"Hey! Summer, is that you?" I hopped off Raikou, and flipped around to face the speaker. "Hey!"

"Murph!" I exclaimed. He waved. I ran up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Hastings sent me." He grinned. But his grin wavered when he noticed I was alone. "Where is Ben? Did something happen?"

"He..." I trailed off. "Red Eyes... killed him."

"K-killed?" Murph gasped. "He's... oh, Summer..."

"I wish... I wish I could have protected him." I frowned. This was all my fault. "Maybe if... if I tried harder..."

"Summer... it's not your fault..." Murph comforted. "Maybe it was his time."

"I need to stop thinking about it. I have a mission. Murph. Have you heard of anyone named Amun?v I questioned. He shrugged. "Oh... maybe some of the natives... If Ben were here..."

'I know about Amun.' I whipped around to face Raikou. 'And I happen to know the way to his mansion. You can thank me later.'

"Great! Raikou, will you take me now?" I was still getting used to the fact that I could understand Raikou. It– he, I suppose– had chattered the entire ride across the bridge. Talking about old legends, heroes, and bad guys. And I think he might have mentioned Ravio once or twice. He nodded. "Alright. Murph, wait here for Rand."

Murph nodded, staring at Raikou as if he'd seen a ghost. Well, I had just talked to it. I hopped back on Raikou, and we took off down a trail. And I was ready to destroy these Pinchers.

**A/N: Update! Yay! Jen's backstory... well, I had to make things interesting. So why not have the leader of the Pinchers after Ben? Shout outs to PrincessofDestiny14 and XashXdawnX for guessing correctly! I may or may not get another chapter up today. I don't know for sure. But, until then, hope you enjoyed the chapter! XD**


	7. Mission Complete!

(Summer's POV)

We arrived at Amun's mansion within five minutes. Five minutes later, Murph showed up, out of breath. I, of course, had no idea he had been following us.

'Took him long enough.' Raikou did, apparently. I swear I saw him roll his eyes, if that's was even possible. 'I thought he'd never catch up.'

"You knew he was following us?" I asked. "How?"

'I'm a legendary Pokèmon, of course I knew.' He laughed, then added quietly, 'He was pretty loud.'

"Well, I didn't hear him." I shrugged. Raikou just laughed again. "You must have super senses."

"Summer..." I turned to face Murph. He looked extremely confused. "Are you talking... to the Raikou? Are you okay?"

"I... well, yes. I'm talking to Raikou." I admitted. "There's nothing wrong with that, though."

'Yeah! I am a legendary Pokèmon! He should be honored that a friend of his can talk to me!' Raikou shouted. I rolled my eyes. He had quite the ego, that was for sure.

"Raikou... um, I need to get in the mansion... so, could you, uh... leave? Maybe?" I requested. "I think you're kinda freaking Murph out..."

'Right... sorry. Well, bye!' Raikou bounded off, much to the obvious relief of Murph. I looked towards the old mansion, and noticed that the door was wide open. I peeked inside. It was extremely dark. I nudged Murph forward.

"Um... why don't you go in first?" I suggested, laughing nervously. Murph looked atnme as if I was crazy. Although, it could be true. After all, I had been talking to a Pokèmon.

"Ladies first!" He exclaimed, shoving me into the dark room. I think he followed me. As soon as we entered, the door slammed shut. "It's d-dark in here!"

"K-kinda spooky." I shuddered, feeling a cold wind blow over me. Wind! But the door was closed... "Murph... d-did you feel that cood wind?"

"G-GHOST!" Murph shouted in terror. I heard running, and then a crash. I froze. Was that the ghost? No. Maybe some Pinchers. I wasn't scared. I just... wanted to find the scientific explanation for this supernatural chill.

"M-murph?" He didn't answer. Did the ghost– I mean, the Pinchers that were in here– get him? Suddenly, the light flickered on. I found myself in a dining room, table fully set. "Ha-ha... very funny, PPinchers. I know you're in here!"

Then the plates started flying towards me. I ducked and dodged, avoiding all of them. This only happened in horror movies! Maybe there really was a ghost...

Suddenly, a terrified scream rang through the air. It wasn't Murph, unless he screamed like a girl. I raced in the direction of the sound. If anyone was in trouble, I had to help! It led me to the library. But there was no one in there. There was, however, a book sticking out. I decided to push it back in. After all, the library should be neat and orderly. And it opened a secret tunnel. I heard talking from down the tunnel. I followed the voices carefully. Well... not carefully. I sprinted down the stairs. And ran straight into Murph. He tumbled down the remaining steps. I ran up to him.

"Murph! I am so sorry! Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. "I didn't see you."

"Summer! Thank goodness you're okay! I was worried." He exclaimed. "Ben would kill me if I let you get hurt."

"Yeah. He would have." I mumbled. He just had to go and bring up Ben again. "If he were still here..."

"Oh, Summer..." Murph sighed. "I'm sorry. I forgot... about, well, you know."

"I'll be fine. He's in a better place." I noticed a door. Good. A distraction. "Hey, let's looked back there!"

"Alright." Murph agreed. We ran through the open door. More books. And an almost familiar face... "Who are you!"

"Well, it looks like my sister told you of our plan."

...

(Ben's POV)

'Well, it looks like my sister told you of our plan.' I heard Jen's voice throuth the transmitter. The plan was in action. Jen would be 'captured' by Summer, and Red Eyes will want her back. So, he'll trade me for Jen. It was simple.

"Plan Get-Ben-Out-Of-Here-Before-Red-Eyes-Kills-Him is in action!" Erin grinned. She had a lot of enthusiasm. "Yay!"

"You act like you're five." I laughed. Erin just shrugged. "It's not a bad thing."

"Well, Jen is so reserved and mature, so I need to be outgoing and childish!" She explained. I chuckled. "Hey, you were pretty childish too! Before the whole P– I mean, uh, Leader– incident."

"What were you going to say?" I asked. Maybe their leader's name started with a P? "Erin?"

"I, um... Pinchers incident! That's it! Yeah." She laughed. I hardly believed her, but there was no use arguing. I was the one tied up, after all. We heard footsteps walking down the hall. "Oh! Better put the blindfold back on!"

"Erin?" Just in time. As much as I hated the darkness, it was necessary. If we weren't to get caught. "Are you talking to the Ranger boy again?"

"Sorry, Red Eyes." She murmured. "He looked bored."

"He should be. Ranger, I just wanted to let you know that we're getting rid of you in a week." His voice was directed to me this time. I heard Erin gasp softly. A week? I hoped that was enough time to finish the plan. "And, Erin. Your sister told me to tell you to go to the Old Mansion. You might wanna leave now."

"And leave the prisoner unguarded?" She asked. "Why–"

"I will guard the prisoner." Red Eyes growled. " Now go."

"Yes sir." I heard the door slam shut. But, unexpectedly, the darkness was replaced with a view of m surroundings. Red Eyes held the blindfold in his hand.

"This is a reckless mission on Blue Eyes's part. If she gets captured, I'll have no choice but to trade you for her." He muttered. "Of course, you wouldn't mind. Being back with your girlfriend."

"You told her I was dead."

"Yes. And now what am I supposed to do. Go back and say, 'Hey! I tricked you! Your boyfriend's alive.'? I'm not as evil as you think." He sighed. I looked at him suspiciously. Jen had said that she didn't expect him to be a coldblooded killer. "I'm only taking orders from my boss."

"I understand." I mumbled. "You don't want to hurt anyone."

"Of course I don't!" He growled. "Blue Eyes likes you. She thinks your a great child, the ideal person we all should be like! If I hurt you, I hurt her. I could never hurt her!"

"Well, how do you think I felt when I found out that you hurt Summer so bad! Telling her I was dead! I felt like it was all my fault! Or, how about when you told me SHE was dead! I was devestated! She means the world to me, and you just... just... WHY CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING NICE FOR A CHANGE!" Red Eyes was surprised by my sudden outburst. I was so angry at him right now. He shot out of the sky, then he goes and ruins her life by telling her that I was dead. Erin told me how upset she was. And it broke my heart to hear that. "Why can't you just... I dunno, help someone instead of hurting them?"

"It wasn't my choice." Red Eyes muttered. "Trust me. I would much rather be out, I don't know, having fun instead of being here. But I have people that I care about... they would've died if I hadn't joined. Blue Eyes is the same."

"I know."

"You do?" I nodded slowly. Red Eyes sighed. "If I had the choice... I wouldn't have joined."

"Then why... why do you help him. Whoever threatened you?" I asked. "Why don't you secretly rebel or something?"

"Because I have to protect the ones I care about." He stated. "Even if it means hurting them to save them."

...

(Summer's POV)

"I didn't know you had a sister." I looked at the Pincher Leader quizzically. "Do you mean Erin?"

"So you have met her. Didn't you see the resemblance?" She asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, we both have blue eyes, blonde hair with a blue streak."

"Well, sorry. If you haven't noticed, your sister wears a hat." I pointed out. "Besides, I didn't know I was supposed to be paying any attention."

"Whatever. If your looking for that old legend book, it isn't here. I've looked through every book already." Blue Eyes frowned. "And I could have sworn I asked for backup."

"Backup's here, J– Blue Eyes!"

"Erin! What? He sent you! But... I specifically told him not to!" Blue Eyes shouted. "Who is standing guard?"

"Well, Red Eyes said he would." Erin stuttered. "He said you wanted me."

"Wait! Guarding who?" I exclaimed. Could... Ben be okay? I really hoped that was the case. "Where?"

"No one you would know!" Blue Eyes replied quickly. "Erin, it would ruin everything if Red Eyes killed him now! Even if you do go back we could be too late!"

"I'm sorry." The younger girl winced at her sister's anger. "I didn't mean–"

"Sorry won't bring anyone back to life." Blue Eyes interrupted. "Just... leave. Go back. Check. Maybe he's still alive."

"Yes ma'am." Erin replied. She ran out of the room. Who were they talking about? And why was Blue Eyes so overprotective of him?

"Summer. You're not going to find the book here. I don't know why you need it, but we've searched everywhere. It isn't here. So you can go home." She scowled at us. "Bye."

"Wait! We should take her with us! Find out what she knows." Murph suggested. I think that was the first good idea he has ever had. But I could've sworn I'd seen Blue Eyes grin at his statement. I must have been imagining things. Why would someone want to be held captive?

"I'll go willingly. If you agree to not tie me up." That surprised me. "And not torture me or anything."

"Um... okay..." I agreed. "Let's go."

"Yes. Let's." Blue Eyes nodded. But for some reason I thought I heard her say more. "Mission complete."

**A/N: Hi! :) So... I do have one idea about a backstory for Red Eyes... but I want your opinion on what his relation to any other characters should be! I definitely think the fact he was threatened into joining as well should say something about the Pinchers. But, anyway, hope you enjoyed! I appreciate any advice or whatever you have to say to me! Until next chapter!**


	8. Trade!

(Summer's POV)

We brought Blue Eyes back to the Union. Murph wanted to question her. I had a feeling it would work the other way around. I had talked to her on the way back. She was smart, too smart for Murph to be able to get any information out of her. After all, Murph never was the brightest.

"So... how long have you known Ben?" Blue Eyes asked me. I thought about it. It seemed like we had been best friends since we were little. In reality, I only met him a few years ago. He showed up to Ranger school with a broken arm and a bandaged head. I asked him so many questions that first day, I'm surprised he didn't think I was a stalker.

"Um... I would say about four years." I shrugged. "I followed him around for the entire first week he was at Ranger School. My friend Kate said I was like a lovesick puppy!"

"So you had a crush on him?" Blue Eyes grinned. She reminded me of Kate. To think, even my enemy teases me about him. "In school, I mean."

"No! Well... maybe a little. More so now, actually. I was curious about him. It isn't very often a new kid shows up nearly halfway through the year. But it was nice to have a new student I hadn't known since first grade." I laughed. "Or Kate since I was three."

"It must have been a new experience for Ben. But you've been with the Rangers for a long time." The older girl stated. "How long?"

"Both of my parents are Pokèmon Rangers. So, yeah. Basically my entire life." I replied. "Kate's the same way. Except her mom is a nurse."

"Who is this Kate person you keep talking about?" She asked. "What's she like?"

"Kate. How do I describe Kate? She's my best friend. Always eager to help." I laughed. "She is enthusiastic, I'll admit. But she tends to jump head first into danger. She has always been like a sister to me. Now it's my turn to ask questions. Tell me about Red Eyes."

"Red Eyes? Well, when I first met him, he was extremely optimistic. I know, it's hard to believe. Being a Pincher changed him. He had a ltittle sister named Susie, and another sister, who's name I don't know. She was born just a monthh before I met him. He was the most friendly, Pokèmon-loving person I knew." Blue Eyes started. "I liked him. A lot. But I didn't see him for two years after he joined the Pinchers. He was forced to, like I was."

"They forced you to join!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "How?"

"They tried to kill someone I cared about. And worse, he wasn't even related to me. My friend's son. He was nearly killed twice. I had to join. And now I'm worried their going to kill him anyway." She sighed. "I'm trying to protect him. It's been four years. But I saw him recently. He was captured by them."

"I'm sorry. As for Red Eyes... I just assumed he was pure evil. I mean, he killed my best friend." Blue Eyes gave me a sympathetic look. "I miss him."

"I know you do. Things will turn out right in the end. I promise." She gave me a small smile. "Don't worry."

"You're actually pretty nice." I grinned. "Maybe we could become friends, if you quit the Pinchers someday."

"Someday. When our idiot leader stops threatening people to get what he wants." Blues Eyes laughed halfheartedly. "Until then, I suppose we'll have to remain frenemies."

"Yeah. I guess we will." I laughed. "Hey! Murph, you coming?"

"Yeah! I'm catching up!" He called back, obviously out of breath. "You guys walk too fast!"

"Well, you walk too slow." Blue Eyes retorted. "Or, maybe, if you were in better shape, you would walk a bit faster than a Slowpoke."

"Nice one." I smirked. "He's about as smart as one too."

"Summer! Stop making me look bad in front of the enemy!" Murph exclaimed. finally catching up to us. "She might use it against me."

"She's not an idiot, Murph. Besides, she's harmless." I noticed Blue Eyes giving me a death glare at my last statement. "Er, you know, she can be very harmful, but if you're nice to her she'll have mercy."

"Nice save, Ranger." She growled, almost jokingly. "Nice save."

...

(Ben's POV)

"Red Eyes!" Both Red Eyes and I looked up, startled at the sound of Erin's angry voice. She was standing in the doorway, looking very upset with the red haired leader. Her expression soften when she saw me, blindfold off, sitting unharmed. "Why is the blindfold off?"

"I need to talk to him." Red Eyes growled. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No sir! Sorry sir." She muttered. "I can resume guarding him now. Blue Eyes sent me away. She said she specifically told you not to send me."

"Before she left, yes. Was she okay?" I noted the worry in his eyes. He really did care about her. "Is she safe?"

"I hid and watched sir. They took her captive. I was going to do something, but she spotted me and motioned for me to stay put."

"They have her captive? Where!" He gasped. "Looks like you're going back to you're girlfriend."

"I followed them back to a ship. It's docked in Tilt Village." Erin informed. "What will you do?"

"Stand watch over the Ranger. I will tell his partner to meet us at Daybreak Ruins. There we will exchange prisoners." Red Eyes stalked out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Erin grinned at me.

"The mission was successful. We even helped Summer out!" She exclaimed. "Isn't that great!"

"Yeah." I smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem. You know, I always wanted a brother." The girl grinned. "And we practically grew up together. So that makes us like siblings, right?"

"Yeah. I guess so." I replied. "Hey. Turn on the transmitter. Let's see what's going on."

"Okay." Erin pushed a few buttons, and soon we heard laughing coming from the transmitter. I could recognize Summer and Jen's voices.

'So you had a crush on him? In school, I mean.' That was Jen speaking. Wait... was she talking to Summer? Who did Summer have a crush on? I wasn't jealous, I just... Okay, I was jealous.

'No!' It was Summer this time. I grinned upon hearing her voice. 'Well... maybe, a little. More so now! actually. I was curious about him. It isn't very often a new kid shows up nearly halfway through the year. But it was nice to have a new student I hadn't known since first grade. Or Kate since I was three!'

"Is she talking about you?" Erin asked. I shrugged. It could be someone else. In another year. "I think she is."

'It must have been a new experience for Ben.' It was Jen speaking. Summer was talking about me! I noticed Erin shut off the transmitter.

"She likes me!" I grinned. "She actually has a crush on me! This is great!"

"Not great if she finds out we were eavesdropping." Erin pointed out. "But maybe you should start, when you get back to her, to drop hints that you like her! It'll be so romantic!"

"And now you're a hopeless romantic, too?"

"Yep! And an expert match maker."

"Great."

...

(Summer's POV)

"Summer! Can you come down and question Blue Eyes for me?" I turned to see Murph emerging from below deck. We were standing on the Union. It was a massive boat, and was quite majestic.

"She too smart for you?" I smirked. "Poor kid. Outsmarted by the enemy!"

"Shut up! That is not the case. But she should answer to you better." Murph exclaimed.

"So how much information did she get out of you?" I asked. "Or do I want to know?"

"None!" Murph declared. He was quiet for a few seconds. "A lot."

"That's what I thought." I laughed. "Nice going."

"Ranger!" I whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice. "So you captured Blue Eyes. Nicely done, but I need her back."

** "Red Eyes." I growled. I prepared for a fight. "What do you want?"**

"Simple. A trade." I eyed him suspiciously. "Your partner for mine."

"Ben." I whispered. What was he talking about? "You killed him! What are you offering me? Ben is dead. So what are you wanting to trade me?"

"Oh, he's very much alive. I lied to you so you would leave us alone. Apparently, that didn't work. So you're getting your boyfriend back. Alive and well." Red Eyes stated. Ben was alive. But Red Eyes could be lying. I shouldn't take the chance. But I had to.

"Where and when?" I demanded.

"Daybreak Ruins. In an hour." He turned to leave. "Come alone with Blue Eyes. Bring anyone else... well, then I can't guarantee Ben's safety."

**A/N: I did it! I wrote another chapter! I am so sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was sidetracked. Hopefully that won't happen again, but I'm not making any promises. Thanks to my reviewers and favoriters. Hope you enjoyed! Until next time! (Hopefully soon.) XD**


	9. Getting Ben Back

(Summer's POV)

"An hour! I have an hour until I get to see Ben!" I exclaimed, an elated smile on my face. "He's alive!"

"Now, Summer. Don't get yourself worked up. This could be a trap. Red Eyes could be lying." Murph warned. "I wouldn't let my guard down."

"Red Eyes may be a lot of things, but he's a horrible liar." I whipped around to see that Blue Eyes had come on deck. "Ben is perfectly fine. My sister guards him, as I'm sure she's told you. Erin or I didn't let anything happen to him."

"Thank you, Blue Eyes." I smiled. Yes, Blue Eyes may be an enemy, but she certainly wasn't evil. "Why, though? Why did you protect him?"

"Oh, I'm sure Ben will tell you everything. And if he doesn't, come find me. If I tell him to, he'll tell Oyou. Trust me, he knows better than to talk back to me." She smirked. "And don't call me Blue Eyes. That's what the Pinchers call me. My real name's Jen."

"Alright, Jen. So, uh, you know Ben?" I asked. "You seem to."

"Yeah. I do." She sighed. "I think I may have mentioned him to you once or twice."

"Oh. Really?" I couldn't remember her mentioning him. I mean, except to ask me about him. And tease me. "Maybe I wasn't listening."

"No... you were. Well, never mind. Y'know, just ask Ben." Blue Eyes– or, Jen, I suppose– started walking off the ship. "So... are we going to Daybreak Ruins or not?"

"Oh, yeah! It's about a thirty minute walk from here, right?" I asked. Jen nodded. "Kay. So, we should get going now."

"Great! Let me just to get something." Murph exclaimed. Jen and I looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Um... Murph. Were you even listening to Red Eyes?" I asked. "Red Eyes told me NOT to bring anyone else. Or he would hurt Ben."

"Oh, right. Haha... yeah. I was just joking." Murph laughed nervously. "You guys know that, right?"

"C'mon, Summer. We should leave now." Jen declared. I nodded. We started climbing off the boat. Murph ran after us.

"Right?" I rolled my eyes. Murph, whom I had known since second grade, would never change. "Guys!"

"Whatever, Murph." I called back, not bothering to turn around. "Just watch the boat."

"Wow. Just... wow." Jen laughed. "Very nice."

"He's Murph. There's no use being subtle with him. He isn't the brightest." I shrugged. "But he's not dumb either."

"You know, he is now the top reason why I could never be a Ranger. Erin may be able to handle it." She decided. I turned to face her and started walking backwards. Mostly because it was fun. "What are you doing?"

"Walking." I stated. "Backwards."

"Why?"

"It's fun!" I grinned. "You should try it sometime."

"Yeah... no." She declined. I shrugged. Suddenly, my foot caught on something and I fell. Backwards. "You tripped."

"I did not!" I exclaimed. Well, I actually did. But Jen didn't need to know that. "I... attacked the ground."

"Backwards." Jen looked at me skeptically. "You attacked the ground. BACKWARDS."

"Yeah, well. I'm just that talented." I defended. Jen wasn't buying it. "Really!"

"Whatever." She chuckled. "Get up. You're probably going to make this walk fifteen minutes longer than it should be."

"Okay, so no walking backwards. How about jumping from tree to tree?" I suggested. "Like a squirrel."

"You are a strange girl." Jen laughed. "We could most definitely be friends."

"So... is that a yes? To the trees?" I asked eagerly. "Is it?"

"No." Jen replied. "No it is not."

"Okay." We walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Uuntil it got annoying to me, anyways. "Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there NOW?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Well, what about–"

"SHUT UP! We are no closer than we were five seconds ago." Jen growled. "So, please. Be quiet."

"Yes ma'am." I muttered. We were silent for another minute or so. I looked around at my surroundings. Not very interesting. "Are we–"

"**NO!**"

...

(Ben's POV)

"Okay, Red Eyes just sent me a transmission telling me to untie you." Erin grinned. "He said Summer. believed him. We have an hour to get to the Ruins."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "I can't wait go see her."

"I can't wait either." Erin smiled evilly. "Operation Match Maker is officially ready to start."

"You aren't seriously going to try that, are you?" I asked. "You are, aren't you?"

"Yep! I mean it's obvious that you like her and she likes you. And even though you heard her say it, you don't believe it. It's my job to make sure you get together!" Erin laughed. "Hey, I can even get Jen to help."

"Wonderful." I deadpanned. "Just wonderful."

"Great! You like the plan!" Erin declared. "Thank goodness you're on board too."

"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?" I asked her. She shrugged. "I was being sarcastic when I said it was wonderful."

"Oh... okay! Now, let's get rid of this rope." She untied the rope that held me captive. I stood up, and it fell off. I stretched a little. After being tied up so long, I was kinda sore. "There we go!"

"Thanks." I smiled. "So... how long will it take us to get there?"

"About fifteen minutes on the Z.Z. Flyers." Erin replied. "Or ten if we hurry. But Red Eyes will probably have us wait a little before we leave. It may take Summer and Jen awhile to get there."

"What do we do until then?" I asked. "Cause I'm kinda bored."

"I have no idea. Red Eyes didn't have any orders relating to that. We could call Jen, see what she's up to." She suggested. "Hey, and maybe you could talk to Summer!"

"No. She really doesn't need to know. I never shared much of my past with her." I denied. And, truthfully, I wanted to talk to Summer in person.

"Suit yourself." Erin shrugged. She pressed a few buttons on her transmitter. "Jen?"

'Erin, thank goodness! Make it stop, she won't shut up!' Jen exclaimed. I laughed. That sounded like Summer. 'She was walking backwards!'

'So? It's fun!' Summer. She sounded so cheerful, and I was glad she was. 'Hey, Erin! Y'know, you're sister says you could be a Ranger!'

"Really?" Erin asked. Yeah, I could see that. "What about her?"

"She couldn't handle Murph." I muttered. There was no way. If she met Murph... I think he would annoy her to death.

'She couldn't handle Murph.' Wow. Summer said the exact same thing I did. Erin noticed this too, as she laughed.

"Aw, you two said the same thing!" She cried quietly, holding her transmitted away so that only I could hear. "So cute!"

"Shut up." I growled. "You're almost worse than Kellyn."

'Erin? Is that Ben?' Summer heard me. 'Is it?'

'Don't be silly. You must be hearing things.' Thank you Jen. 'And keep walking! We don't have time for you to climb trees!'

'But you–'

'Summer!' Yeah. Same old Summer. 'Stay on track.'

"Wow..." Erin laughed. She shut off the transmitter and turned to me. "Your girlfriend is silly."

"Silly? No. Crazy? Yes." I grinned. "Oh, and don't tell her I said that."

"Hey! Are you two ready to go?" We turned around to face Red Eyes, who was standing in the doorway. "We don't want to keep the Ranger waiting."

"Great! We're ready!" Erin exclaimed. "Let's go!"

...

(Summer's POV)

"Are we there yet?" I asked for probably the fifteen hundredth time. Jen probably hated me by now. "Are we?"

"Yes, we are _finally _here." She exclaimed, very exasperated. "Welcome to Daybreak Ruins."

"Awesome! So we just waltz inside, and there we go!" I started towards the entrance. I was held back when Jen grabbed my scarf. I whipped around to face her. "What!"

"Uh... it doesn't exactly work that way. There are several traps and mazes in the Ruins. It's fairly easy to get lost." She warned. "You're going to need a lot of Physic Types."

"Physic Types. Hmm... I don't have any. You don't happen to... have any, maybe?" I asked. Jen sighed. "You don't, do you?"

"Nope. But YOU can befriend some in the Ruins." She suggested. "You think that'll work?"

"Oh! Right, I forgot." I laughed. "Yeah, I'll just do that."

"You really can't wait to see him again, can you?" Jen asked. "He means a lot to you."

"You have no idea." I stated. "He's my best friend!"

"He's more than that. You really like him." She put a hand on my shoulder. "He likes you too, you know. I can tell. He made it fairly obvious."

"I doubt it. He only thinks of me as a friend." I mumbled. "There's no way he could like me like I like him."

"Don't be down on yourself. He really does." Jen smiled. "C'mon. It may take us another fifteen minutes to get through."

...

Jen was right. It took us awhile to get through the ruins. There were these stupid glowing things toopen passages. I really didn't want to deal wih those again. One problem when we made it through. Red Eyes wasn't there, let alone Ben.

"That jerk! He tricked us! He isn't here!" Jen shouted angrily. "I should've known that idiot could care less about me!"

"Hey, there's gotta be a logical explanation. Maybe they're just late?" I suggested. Jen scowled and muttered something I couldn't understand. At least I calmed her down. Suddenly, a roar rang through the air.

"Entei!" Jen gasped. Sure enough, the legendary Pokèmon bounded into view. "What is he doing here?"

'I should ask you the same thing, human. This is my land!' So he talked too. 'Ugh, why do I even bother? Humans cannot understand.'

"Entei! We're sorry for trespassing! We mean you no harm!" I yelled, trying to appease the legendary beast. "Please, calm down!"

'You are a fool. You cannot undo what you have done!' Entei growled. I held out my Styler. I would have to befriend Entei. Now I wished I brought Pichu. It took me several tries to finally capture him, but I eventually did. A bright light, like with Raikou, filled the air. I noticed a figure. Again, like Raikou! Acting fast, I entered the emblem into my Styler, before the light faded. Entei had disappeared.

"Summer! You okay?" Jen asked worriedly. "You were brave. Saving me."

"Yeah, well. It's my job." I smiled. "No need to worry."

"A job well done, I must say." We whipped around to face the speaker. Red Eyes had arrived, along with Erin and another Pincher. I didn't see Ben.

"Red Eyes! Where's Ben!" I growled. Red Eyes frowned at me. He stepped out of the way to reveal Ben. Safe, unharmed. He shoved my partner to the ground. I snarled at the Pincher Leader.

"I see you have Blue Eyes. Let's trade. No funny business." Red Eyes smirked. He was planning something. Jen noticed this too, and shook her head. Telling Red Eyes to drop whatever cruel plan he had devised. Erin helped Ben up. I was grateful that she was helping him.

"Right." I nudged Jen forward. "Three..."

"Two..."

"One!" I raced over and grabbed Ben. Just in time, too. As I got him away, I noticed an Ivysaur preparing a Hyperbeam. I pulled Ben to the ground just in time. The Hyperbeam barely missed me. I helped Ben up, and glared at Red Eyes. Jen was now over with him. She was mad. No, beyond mad. I didn't understand why. But she looked ready to kill him. "No funny business, huh, Red Eyes?"

"Well, what did you expect?" He got back on his Z.Z. Flyer, pulling Jen on with him. "Have fun getting out alive."

"What?" Red Eyes tossed a bunch of Voltorbs around us. I saw Jen and Erin both looking horrified at him. This time, Ben pulled me into a protective hug and dove to the ground. He positioned himself so that he took the full brunt of the attack. I heard the explosions, but I wasn't really affected. I was worried about Ben, taking the full brunt of it. I hoped he'd be okay.

**A/N: FINALLY! I am so so so sorry for the long wait. I had a little case of writer's block. But I'm back! Thanks to my reviewers, I appreciate your support! :) Hopefully the next update will be sooner. I tried making this a bit longer, although most of it was sort of filler. Hope you enjoyed!**


	10. Injured!

(Summer's POV)

It felt like forever before the explosions finally stopped. I almost thought it never would. But it did. I opened my eyes, since I had squeezed them shut when the explosions began, and started to get up. Wait, that wouldn't work. Ben sorta had me pinned to the ground.

"Ben?" He moaned, and started to stand up. He reached his arm down to help me up too. I gratefully excepted. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He grimaced, showing me that his statement was false. I scanned his body for any injury, and almost immediately wished I hadn't. There was an ugly looking gash on his side, presumably from the explosions. I gasped. "Really!"

"Ben, you're bleeding! We have to get you a doctor!" I exclaimed. He glanced down, and winced at the severity of his wound. I pulled off my scarf, and wrapped it around his injury like a makeshift bandage. "That could get infected."

"Now would be a bad time to tell you that I can't feel my leg." Ben muttered, under his breath so I wouldn't hear. Too late. Now I noticed that he was putting all his weight on his right leg. What I thought was just a weird way of standing, now seemed to be an abnormal twisting of his left leg. It was quite obviously broken.

"You can't feel it! Ben, we have got to get you help. Let's leave as soon as–" I turned towards the exit. It was blocked by rocks. We were trapped in here, and Ben was losing blood– fast. If we didn't get Ben help soon... I didn't want to think about it. "– Possible..."

"Yeah... good luck with that." Ben sat down on one of the rocks. "Guess we're stuck here. Unless that Entei shows up and helps us out."

"Entei! Ben, you're a genius!" I exclaimed. I jumped into the air, and drew Entei's sign. Not completely trusting that it would work, I shut my eyes. But, once again, instead of hitting the ground, I landed on a fluffy cloud. Opening my eyes, I saw that, sure enough, I was on Entei. And I swear he was smirking.

'About time you called me, Hero.' He said. Hero? I had no clue what he meant by 'Hero'. But who cares? It worked! 'I was waiting.'

"Well, that's an interesting greeting. Hello to you too." I laughed. I turned to face Ben, who seemed extremely surprised to see me on Entei. "Hey, Ben. Hop on."

"Wow..." He breathed. He walked over, and I helped him on. "You are amazing."

"That's you're opinion." I shrugged. "I disagree. Highly."

"Suit yourself." Ben shrugged. "So... did you find Rand?"

"Where did you think we were going?" I asked. "Entei, can you take us there? Do you know where it is?"

'Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, Hero. I'll get you and your boyfriend there in a snap.' Entei replied. 'Oh, and Hero? You might wanna hold on. Tight.'

"Right. Hey Ben, hold on tight, kay?" He nodded, and Entei took off. I clutched his mane, knowing that if I let go, we'd go flying. Ben had his arms wrapped around my waist. We arrived at Rand's house within ten minutes. Much shorter than the walk from Tilt Village. We both hopped off Entei. I thanked him, and he ran off. We walked into Rand's house. Nema ran up to greet us

"SUMMER! Did you get the book? What took you so long? Who is this? Papa's been worried wick about you! He said you might be hurt! But you're not, so Papa'll be happy!" She exclaimed. "Oh! He's hurt though! What's happened? Did you rescuebim? Huh? Huh?"

"Nema, calm down. We'll explain once your parents get in here." I declared. "Okay?"

"Summer! You're back!" Rand appeared on the stairs, quickly followed by Leanne. "And who's this?"

"This is Ben. Ben, this is Rand, Leanne, and Nema." I introduced. Ben waved shyly.

"But I thought Red Eyes–"

"Red Eyes was lying Rand. Surprised? But that doesn't matter, because he's really hurt right now! Is there a doctor somewhere?" I asked anxiously. "Close, preferably."

"There is one." Rand said. "His name is Dr. Edward."

...

(Ben's POV)

"Dr. Edward?" I asked. Why did that name sound so familiar? "Who is he?"

"He's a great guy. Helps out a lot around here. He's actually from Almia. You might know him. You are from Almia, right?" Leanne smiled. I nodded. "Great! I'll call him. He'll be here in an instant!"

"Okay, great. I would hate it to lose him now." Summer hugged me protectively. I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "After all, he saved me."

"Saved you? Oh, how romantic!" Nema– I think that was her name– exclaimed. "It's like a love story! You guys are going to fall in love and live happily ever after!"

"N-nema!" Summer shouted. Was it just me, or did was she blushing? I know I was. Of all the people I could have a crush on, why did it have to be her?

"There's nothing romantic about us. She did save me first." I pointed out. I somewhat wished my first statement wasn't true. "Right, Summer?"

"Yeah... Right." Summer mumbled. She looked a bit saddened by my statement. I immediately regretted saying anything. I had to go and say that! I'm such an idiot!

"Um... Ben, may I talk to you for a minute? In the library. Edward should be here soon." Rand requested. I nodded and followed him upstairs. "How do you feel about her?"

"What's do you mean?" I asked, although I knew perfectly well what he was getting at. Great. So he's going to take the place of the overprotective father. "I like her. She's my best friend."

"Yes, but how much do you like her?" He looked at me suspiciously. I felt my cheeks getting hot again. I didn't know how to describe my feelings for her. It was more than an innocent crush now.

"A lot." I muttered quietly. "I mean, she's sweet, she's cute, she's brave... any guy would fall for her!"

"She was heartbroken. When Red Eyes told her you were dead. She didn't want to accept it." Rand informed me. "Don't let that happen again."

"Yes sir!" I exclaimed. I think he just gave me permission to like her. "I would never want that to happen to her."

"Good." Rand smiled. We heard some commotion downstairs. "I guess Edward's here. You know, I don't understand how you're still standing with an injury like that. Doesn't it hurt?"

"I don't want to worry Summer too much. Yeah, it hurts. But if it'll make Summer not worry, I can withstand it." I declared. I had to admit, I wanted to collapse. It was difficult to walk, since I could feel my leg. My side hurt a lot. Summer's scarf had done little to stop the bleeding. I had lost a lot of blood. I knew that my injury could easily end my life. And I knew it was much worse than it looked. I limped down the stairs, following Rand. Sure enough, there was a man in white lab coat chatting with Summer. He spotted me, and smiled.

"Ah, so you are my patient." He stated, walking over to me. "I'm Edward. You must be Ben. Pleasure to meat you."

"You too sir." I greeted politely. He was so familiar! I knew him from somewhere. But where?

"So, let's take a look at that injury." He brought me into the living room, and removed the scarf. He visibly winced at the sight of my injury. "Oh, that's bad. Here, I can give you some medicine to ease the pain.

I nodded. He filled a needle with some sort of liquid. Medicine, I assumed. I hated shots, but it was probably nothing compared to the pain in my side. I winced a little when he inserted the needle in my arm. Then I noticed something. Edward had a smile on his face. Almost an evil smile. And then I realized something was wrong. He didn't give me medicine. Suddenly, I found myself gasping for air.

I couldn't breathe.

...

(Summer's POV)

Something was wrong. I knew that as soon as Edward came back into the room, a grim look on his face. Ben. Something was wrong with Ben.

"It seems your friend has lost a lot of blood." Edward informed us. "It may be beyond my power to save him."

"No..." I muttered. Tears sprang to my eyes. I just got him back! I couldn't lose him now! "This can't be happening!"

"I'm sorry. But it could take a miracle to save him now." The doctor gave me a sympathetic look. I ran outside, and collapsed on the grass to cry. I felt a small hand on my shoulder.

"Bi bi?" I looked up. Celebi was floating next to me, a worried look on her face. I managed to smile sadly through my tears. Celebi flew around me, and suddenly I was enveloped in a bright light. Not again. The world around me was once again replaced by Ravio's time. And of course, I was still sitting on the ground crying. Ravio spotted me and ran over.

"Summer!" He shouted happily. Then he noticed my sorrow. "Are you okay?"

"I am. But my partner isn't." I mumbled. I noticed aanother boy and girl running over. The girl had light blue hair, bordering on silver. The boy was also blonde, like Ravio, excepts his hair was more yellow.

"You must be Summer! Ravio has told us about you. I'm Kira, and this is Tanvir." She introduced. I smiled weakly at them. "Aw, you look sad! What happened? Maybe we can help."

"Ben, my partner, got really hurt... and the doctor said he wasn't going to get better." I explained. "I don't think you can help."

"Or maybe we can." Kira grinned. "Celebi has healing powers, right?"

"Right." I confirmed. "She does."

"So maybe she can transfer some of her powers to you!" She exclaimed. I was confused. "It's not impossible. Then you can heal you're partner! It's brilliant!"

"But, Kira, is it safe?" Ravio asked nervously. "I don't want Summer to get hurt."

"Bi bi!" Celebi flew around me again. She seemed to agree with Kira. She stopped in front of my face, and touched my forehead. I felt a strange surge of power coursing through me. It became stronger and stronger, before reaching it's peak. The world suddenly dissolved into a strange sparkled, dreamy universe. It was scary, but at the same time absolutely amazing. And then, out of nowhere, Arceus appeared.

"Do you know how much power we are placing your hands?" He asked. "You are the Hero. All the legendaries are granting you power. You will be beyond powerful. Will you go through with it?"

"Um... yes?" I said. It came out as more if a question. "I will. For Ben."

"You are very loyal, and very brave. Young Summer, you are now granted the power to heal, and the power to understand all Pokèmon, as well as many other powers. Use them wisely." Then he disappeared. This world dissolved around me, and everything went black.

**A/N: An update! Yes! It was fast! Yay! Thank you so much to all my reviewers! I love you guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I known I enjoyed writing it! Can't wait to here your thoughts! Hopefully updates will be faster now. Have had a hectic week. Luckily, this week should be better. There WILL be an update within the next two days. Until next time!**


	11. Arceus the Annoying Guide

(Ben's POV)

I couldn't breathe. Whatever that doctor had given me was choking me.

"Don't you worry. The pain will be over within the next fifteen minutes." Edward informed me. "It will all be over. Honestly, I'm doing you a favor. It's a relatively short and painless death compared to what I have planned for your girlfriend."

He left the room. I wanted to yell for help, to warn Summer. But, no. I was slowly choking to death. I couldn't breathe, much less yell. Edward... it all clicked. This wasn't his first time trying to kill me. Flashbacks flooded my mind. He was the doctor. From the incident. The one that started everything. Suddenly I was angry. He tried to kill me! Twice! And I knew he would succeed this time. But he was after Summer. And that was crossing the line.

"Ben..." I managed to look up to see Rand in the doorway. I tried to say something. But again, no use. My lungs were burning for air. He came closer and his eyes widened. I had a feeling my face was turning blue from lack of air. He put a hand on my arm, and frowned worriedly. "Oh Arceus... Ben! You're so cold! And pale! Leanne! Leanne, get in here!"

"Rand?" Leanne ran over to us. She checked my pulse. Her eyes widened as well. "Rand, his pulse is too slow! He's too pale, he shouldn't of lost so much blood so fast."

My vision started getting blurry. I noticed Leanne looking at me worriedly. Rand glanced at her, and asked her something. She shook her head sadly. I barely managed to catch her response.

"We're losing him Rand." From there, everything went black, as I succumbed to the neverending darkness.

...

(Summer's POV)

When I woke up, I was in Nema's room. Leanne was sitting by my bed, her eyes red from having fryer recently. I sat up groggily.

"Leanne?" She looked over at me. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake. I couldn't bare losing you too." She exclaimed. I looked at her, confused by her statement. "Oh, you don't know! Oh, Summer..."

"Ben..." I mumbled. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

"Summer... I am so sorry. Some... human force messed with his health. He should've been fine... but we lost him." She gave me a sympathetic look. I jumped up and ran to the room Ben was in. He was still in there. His face was a deathly pale, and his eyes were closed. I checked for a pulse, for some sign that that was just some sick joke. Nothing. I was too late. He was really, truly gone this time.

'But he's not out of your reach yet.' A voice said. A voice in my head. Ah, great. Now I was going crazy. 'No. Not crazy. One would think that the Hero should know when Arceus is talking to you.'

"Oh, man. I have a Pokèmon in my head, telling me, 'Oh yeah, your best friend is dead. But hey, he's still in your reach!' What does that even mean!" I shouted to no one in particular.

'I'm not in your head.' Arceus stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 'You remember the powers we gave you. That included a Pokèmon guide.'

"Like I said, I am going insane." I repeated. "What the heck is a Pokèmon guide!"

'All humans have a Pokèmon guide. Not all can talk to them. For most, it is their partner Pokèmon. But for you, Hero, it does not work that way. You should be honored, as I have chosen to be your Pokèmon guide.' Wonderful. 'It is, isn't it?'

"And... you can read my mind." I muttered. "Whatever. So how am I supposedly to bring Ben back to life? And if you say something all wise and poetic telling me I have to go on some questto fully realize my powers, I am personally kicking you out of my head."

'Alright. No quests. You should be able to tap into your powers with no practice. Um... Celebi gave you the healing powers so... I can't really help you.' I sighed, and looked back at Ben. I thought for a second. How would Celebi do it? Carefully, I put my hands on his chest. I concentrated on him being better, thinking one word to myself. Heal. Slowly but surely, I felt a strange power coursing through me. I channeled it into my one thought.

Then my hands started glowing. The glow spread over Ben's lifeless body. Slowly, I started to notice a heartbeat. It gradually got more noticeable. Along with the rise and fall of his chest to signify that he was breathing again. I glanced at his still pale face. The glow faded. His brown eyes fluttered open to stare into mine.

"Summer?" He asked weakly. I smiled at him. "How... I'm alive."

"Ben! You're okay! Thank Arceus!" I exclaimed, briefly forgeting the egotistic Pokèmon in my head. If only that could have lasted.

'Yes, yes. You may thank me.' He declared. I rolled my eyes. Of course, Ben noticed this. 'Oh, yeah. You can tell him.'

"Um... you're going to think I'm crazy. Uh..." I started. "So, really, it is a long story..."

'Oh, just tell the boy. You have the powers of every legendary in the world! It shouldn't be that hard.' Arceus encouraged. Er, tried to.

"Thank you, Arceus." I muttered sarcastically. Ben just sort of looked at me weirdly. "Um, yeah. I have Arceus in my head."

'See, not so hard.'

"I did not want this!" I exclaimed. "I just wanted to heal you."

"So, wait. You have Arceus in your head AND magical healling powers?" Ben gasped. "Woah. You ARE amazing."

'Yes. I know.' Yeah. If I wasn't crazy now, I would be within the nest two days. I mean, have you ever tried having a egoistic, self-centered, vain, annoying– 'I can hear your thoughts, you know.'

"Yeah. I knew that." I grumbled. Ben looked at me strangely. I pointed to my head. "Talking to the annoying Pokèmon possessing my mind."

"Okay... I guess." I smiled. Yep. Ben was back to normal. "We should probably tell Rand and Leanne I'm alive."

"Or... we could trick them!" I exclaimed, grinning somewhat evilly. I think Arceus was already rubbing off on me. "You could say that you're a ghost!"

'Or we could just make him an actual ghost. It's much easier and–'

"Shut up, Arceus!"

...

(Ben's POV)

My life couldn't get any weirder. First, I die and come back to life. Then I found out that my best friend and crush had Arceus, the ruler of all the legendaries, talking to her in her head. Oh, did I mention that it was her that brought me back to life.

That given, pranking Leanne and Rand was the most normal thing that happened all day. Well, mostly. Apparently Arceus wanted to turn me into a real ghost. Thank goodness Summer had the common sense to decline his offer. Rather rudely, I should add. Hard to believe she was talking to the king of the legendaries. But, anyways, the prank was simple, really. I walk up to one of them, say something, and Summer is hiding with a camera. Apparently, she can turn invisible.

"Hey, Rand." I grinned as the older Ranger whipped around to face me. "So how is your day going?"

"Mine was going relatively fine until someone killed me." I said the last part fairly bitterly. "Death isn't very pleasant, you know. And certainly not painless. Believe me, choking to death really hurts. It sort of feels like you've been underwater too long, and you can't come up to the surface."

"B-ben!" That was all Rand could muster. He looked horrified at the description of my experience. I had to admit, dying was scary. "You... you..."

"Yes. I died. Nice revelation. You know, I'll spare you the details. Leanne will probably want to know more about it though. You know, the whole dying thing." I smiled slightly. "Anyways, if you see Summer–"

"No, I think I know what you want me to tell her." Rand looked at me sadly. "I... oh, Arceus, what am I supposed to say to a boy who just died?"

"You know, I think something sympathetic might work. Or maybe 'I'm sorry.' Ever thought of that?" Both Rand and I whipped around to see a fully visible Summer standing in the corner. She slapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't say, er, mean to say that! I swear!"

"Summer..." I sighed. Something told me Arceus had said that. "Um... so, guess that blew it. Prank's over Summer."

"Prank?" Rand asked, disbelief present in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah... I'm not dead. Anymore. I'm not dead anymore. Summer brought me back." I let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. And I make it sound simple."

"You- You're alive? How? Oh, Arceus. That is amazing!" He exclaimed. I noticed Summer suddenly looked annoyed. Probably Arceus.

"You're very conceited, you know." I heard her mutter. I felt pretty bad for her. It must've driven her crazy. Rand, unfortunately, also heard her.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked. Summer looked up, startled by his question. I noticed her trying to figure out a believable excuse. Not that the truthwas very believable, anyway.

"Ar–ley. Arley. The lumberjack from Cocona." She improvised. Summer never was a good liar. "That us who I am talking to. Not Arceus or someone like that! Haha, yeah."

"Um... okay then..." Rand turned back towards me. "So... you're alive?"

"No duh. Does he look dead?" We looked back at Summer, who once again slapped a hand over her mouth. "Wasn't my fault! I am going to kill that stupid Pokèmon."

"Okay, Summer. Um... why don't you go talk to Leanne." I suggested. She nodded, and ran out of the room, muttering angrily at presumably Arceus. "Sorry. She, uh, is a strange girl sometimes."

"I noticed." Rand nodded. Yeah, strange didn't even begin to describe Summer now. More like unnatural. "Why does she keep doing that?"

"Um... I dunno." Lie. I knew perfectly well why Summer kept blurting things out. But how was I supposed to tell Rand, who was practically her father, that she was possessed by a legendary Pokèmon? "You know, I just remembered! My Styler aisle broken. I heard Nema could fix it?"

"She's in her lab. Down the hall, to your right." Rand smiled. I nodded gratefully and headed towards the hall. "Other hall!"

"Right!"

...

(Summer's POV)

"Leanne?"

"Summer! My, you're taking this rather lightly." She exclaimed, turning to face me. She was upstairs, in the library. I wasn't surprised. "I am so sorry."

"No need." I shrugged. "Ben's fine. He's downstairs talking to Rand."

'Interesting thing to say.' I was seriously sick of having Arceus in my head. 'You have healing powers. You can prevent yourself from being sick.'

Yep. Sick of it.

"Summer, what in the world are you talking about?" Leanne was looking at me like I had two heads. Which, at this point, wouldn't surprise me. "I saw with my own eyes! He–"

"Appearances can be deceiving." I did not say that. Although,it made sense to say. But it was Arceus! "Ben is perfectly fine, thanks to S– me. Thanks to me."

"Seriously, what–" She was cut off by an explosion downstairs. I heard Ben yell something that sounded a lot like 'Nema!'. Which led me to believe that Nema was fixing his Styler. "Nema. This is the third time today!"

"Fourth." I corrected. Leanne ignored me and raced downstairs. I followed quickly. Nema was standing right outside her room, handing the now fixed Styler to Ben. Leanne's eyes widened when she saw Ben. "Told you."

"Hi, Mom! See, I told you he was sleeping. Summer woke him up. And I fixed his Styler!" Nema exclaimed, grinning widely. She was such a sweet girl. "Oh, hi Summer!"

"Hey, Leanne." Ben greeted. Then he turned to me. "Arceus stop bothering you yet?"

'I'm bothering you?' Arceus gasped. 'How would I be bothering you?'

"He's still at it." I grumbled. "Worse than ever, I would say."

"Wow..." Ben laughed. "Just... wow."

"Arceus? What are you two talking about?" Leanne asked. I glared at Ben. He had inadvertently just revealed my secret. Wonderful.

"I am possessed by Arceus." I stated, before Ben and I burst out laughing at how silly that sounded. It was kinda strange. Leanne bust sort of stared at me weirdly. "For real! I know it sound silly, but it's true! Unfortunately."

'It is an honor–'

"To have the King of Legendaries as my Pokèmon guide. So you have told me." I finished. The others looked at me strangely. "He think it's an honor. Not."

"You just keep getting stranger and stranger." Nema stated, breaking the semi awkward silence that had befallen us. "You are an awesome sister."

"You too, Nema. You too."

**A/N: Update! Yes! Sort of a filler chapter, some fun stuff in there. I kinda have left out the funny in the last ten chapters. Haha. So Arceus is sort of a comic relief character. Pichu, who I'm sure you've all been wondering about, is still back on the Union. We will see it (He/She?) next chapter. So, Ben WAS dead. But he's alive now. I wouldn't kill off a major character just like that. And Summer has Arceus in her head. Yeah. This is about to get interesting. Thanks to my awespme reviewers! You guys are awesome! XD Until next time! **


	12. Teleportation Mayhem!

(Summer's POV)

We decided to head to the Union to pick up Pichu. Well, I decided that. I wanted to see my little partner again! And Ben really should meet it. Oh, and I wanted to talk to it. Like, really talk to it. Since I could now. Which Arceus so kindly reminded me of.

I was really starting to hate him.

"How long is it going to take to get there, exactly?" Ben asked me. I shrugged. Thirty minutes walking. Fifteen minutes on Raikou or Entei.

'Or five seconds transporting.' Arceus suggested. First useful thing he had said all day. 'It should work. Overlooking the fact that you got that power from Mew. The Queen of Chaos.'

"We could teleport." I grinned, taking Arceus's suggestion for once. "Would take us five seconds."

"I'm in." Ben agreed, nodding. I took his hand. A faint blush was apparent on his face, but I ignored it. He was probably out of it. I mean, he DIED. I closed my eyes, concentrating on where I wanted to go. The Union. Seconds later, I felt water surrounding me. I opened my eyes, and found that I had landed us in the ocean near the Union. Close enough.

"I did it!" I cheered. I looked over at Ben, who was glaring at me. While I was relatively dry, he was soaked. I giggled a little. It was pretty funny.

"You sure did. Did you mean to land us in the water, or was that a mistake?" He deadpanned. I shrugged. "Now how do we get on the Union?"

'Yell for help.' Arceus suggested. 'Really loud.'

"Yell for help." I repeated. "MURPH!"

"Summer?" Murph appeared on the boat, and looked down at us. He tossed a rope down, and we climbed onto the boat. "How did you get down there? Oh, hey Ben."

"Hey Murph." Ben greeted unenthusiastically. Probably because he was still dripping wet. While I was only relatively damp. Something told me this had to do with the weird powers Arceus gave me.

'It does.' Someone. I really hated him. 'That's impossible.'

"No, it's possible. Extremely so." I muttered. Murph gave me a weird look. I pointed to my head. "Talking to the annoying Pokèmon in my head. The conceited, self-centered, useless–"

"I find it strange that you describe Arceus that way." Ben chuckled. I smiled innocently. "My magical best friend who insults Arceus. Wow."

'You don't mean it obviously.' Arceus was trying to defend me, it seemed. 'I admit, I am rather annoying. But you should meet Mew!'

"Wait. Um, did I hear that right?" Murph asked. "You have magic powers, AND Arceus in your head. Professor Hastings is going to love this."

"No. He isn't going to find out. Now where's Pichu!" I grinned. As if on cue, Pichu came bounding up from below deck.

'Summer! Hi, Summer!' It exclaimed. 'How was it? Did you find Ben? Did you?'

"Hi Pichu! I most certainly did!" I exclaimed. "This is Ben. Ben, this is Ukulele Pichu!"

'You can understand me Summer? That is awesome! See, I knew you were special. Wait. Since when can you understand me? Huh? I don't remember you being able to before!' Pichu loved to talk. That was quite obvious. 'Well?'

"Since Ben die–" I stopped myself, remembering that Murph was on the ship. He really didn't need to know what happened. But, the bewildered look on his face told me he'd heard enough.

"Wait. You were about to say 'Since Ben died.', weren't you?" He asked. I nodded. Ben grimaced. That was obviously a sore subject for him. I understood that. "But... he's..."

"Yep." I confirmed. I thought he was going to say alive. "He is."

I was completely wrong.

"GHOST!" Murph shouted, running to hide behind the mast. "He's a ghost! He's come to haunt me for not helping him! I'm sorry! Don't haunt me!"

"Nice." Ben smirked. Of course. He thought I did that on purpose. "This is funnier than Rand's reaction."

"Okay, and I'm sorry about the time I spilled juice on your Styler!" Murph whimpered, still behind the mast. "And... and that time I locked you in the closet!"

"I knew it! That was you!" Ben exclaimed, a triumphant grin on his face. "See, I told you Summer! It wasn't my fault! That time!"

"Wow..." I laughed. "Okay, Murph. Settle down. He isn't here to haunt you. He isn't a ghost."

"He's not?" Murph slowly walked out from behind the mast. "He isn't a zombie, right? Or a vampire? Or... or a spirit! No, that's the same as a ghost."

"He is completely human." I assured him. Then I turned to Ben. "You are completely human, right?"

"Yes, Summer. Unlike you, I am completely human." He reassured. "You... I don't know what to call you."

"Hey, I am completely human!" I defended. "Absolutely, completely–"

'Actually, you're more of a supernatural half Pokèmon hero.' Arceus declared. 'Or three fourths Pokèmon.'

"Okay, so maybe not." I sighed. "But I am awesome. I have superpowers."

"Wow." Ben shook his head, smiling. "You are weird."

"Why thank you."

'So, um, Summer?' I glanced back towards my Pichu. 'Can we, uh, go to Booker's? I kinda broke my ukulele again.'

"Again? Nicely done." I laughed. "Ben, guess what? We're transporting again!"

"Great." He frowned. I grabbed his hand once again. I noticed Murph smirking, which usually wasn't a good thing. He walked over to us.

"You two finally got together?" He questioned. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. Ben's cheeks were bright red as well. "So... when's the big day?"

"You mean... Murph! We're too young to get married!" Ben exclaimed, his cheeks reddening even more. "Are you crazy?"

"Alright. But, you know, I think your girlfriend here deserves a little love, though." Murph grinned, nudging Ben towards me. I felt my cheeks getting hot again, realizing what Murph was implying.

"Murph... I really don't think–"

"Come on, don't be chicken!" Murph pouted, pushing Ben forward until his face was about five inches away from mine.

"Summer. Teleport. Now!" Ben muttered to me through closed teeth. "Please."

"Oh, don't leave so soon." Murph whined. Although he was probably planning to do something that would completely embarrass us, I hesitated. I guess because I was just a nice person.

Bad mistake. Murph pushed Ben forwards me even further, and we both toppled down on deck. Murph was laughing at our position, even though it obviously wasn't what he planned.. After his little push, Ben and I were so close our noses were touching. I couldn't pull away, of course, because if I did I would hurt myself. Ben pulled away, though. But still. We were in a rather... awkward position.

"You guys trip? It looks like you fell for each other!" Murph teased. Really bad pun. "I should leave you two alone. Would you like that? Hmm?"

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU MURPH!" I screamed, momentarily forgetting that Ben was on top of me. He winced.

"Not so loud." He mumbled. "Will you get us away from him, please?"

"My pleasure." I agreed. I quickly transported us to Booker's. Er, tried to. We ended up in the water again. Unfortunately, we were in the same position as on the boat.

'You really do like that boy.' Right. Forgot about Arceus. 'How could you forget me?'

"It's easier than you think, oh Great King." I replied mockingly. "No offense, you royal annoyingness. I don't mean to insult you."

"You really don't hold back. Not even for Arceus. Guess that's part of the reason I love you." Ben smiled. I laughed, not fully comprehending what he had said. Than it hit me.

He just said he loved me.

...

(Ben's POV)

For the record, I did not mean to say that out loud. I did not THINK I said that out loud. Summer laughed, so of course I didn't. And then the statement registered. The shock was very apparent on her face. And I was an idiot.

"I mean, you know. As a friend!" I improvised quickly. Lie. "Not, you know, um... as more. Cause, we're just friends, right?"

"Right." Summer laughed somewhat awkwardly. As if our situation wasn't awkward enough. I realized that I was still on top of her. I quickly moved off of her. Her face was bright red. My face couldn't be any better.

"Hey, Summer!" We sat up and looked towards the voice. It was a boy. How did he know Summer? I felt a bit of jealousy. "Didn't know you had a boyfriend!"

And that jealousy vanished.

"Nice to see you to, Nick." Summer deadpanned. She stood up, still barely damp. Figures. I was soaked. Why did she get magic powers?

"Because you died." Summer stated, as I stood up. Did I say that aloud? "No, apparently I can read your mind."

"Woah, back up. Who died?" Nick exclaimed worriedly. "And who can read minds?"

"I died and she can read minds." I replied. The cut on my side still stung a little. "That help? Any?"

"Wait! Does that mean you're a ghost?" The younger boy gasped. "Oh, poor Summer! You must be her partner! Could it be? Those evil people tortured you, trying to get information. But you wouldn't tell them anything! So they had to kill you! Then, as a ghost, you went to find Summer, to tell her what happened. Then–"

"I'm not a ghost." I laughed. "Summer brought me back to life. And the Pinchers didn't... never mind. Are you always like this?"

"He is." Summer muttered. "All the time."

"Hey, not all the time!" Nick defended. "Only most of it."

"Nick, who ya talking to?" An older man walked out of the house on the beach. "Oh! Summer, nice to see you. Did you find your partner yet? And where's Pichu?"

"I was in such a hurry to get us out of there I must've left Pichu!" Summer exclaimed. Yes, that sounded like Summer. "Be right back."

"Avoid Murph!" I warned before she disappeared. Nick and the older man just gawked at the place she had been standing.

"Where'd she go?" The man asked. "Hmm. Always knew she was a strange one. The name's Booker. You must be Summer's partner, Ben, right?"

"Um, yeah. That's me." I replied. "She mentioned me?"

"Oh, yeah. She really likes you. You must really like her too." Nick grinned. "After all, you were on top of her."

"You were what?" Booker growled. Not good. Something told me he wasn't very happy with me. "And how did this happen?"

"That wasn't our fault!" I quickly exclaimed, my face heating up once again. "Murph pushed us! And then we transported here in a rush! And then–"

"Don't worry, I was just messing with ya." Booker laughed. Suddenly, there was a scream above us. We all looked up. I was surprised to see Summer falling from the sky.

"Ben, help!" She screeched. I stuck my arms out, hoping to catch her. Luckily, I did. Sort of. She landed in my arms. She smiled up at me, cheeks slightly red. "Thanks."

"Um... no problem." I replied. "Did you get Pichu?"

"Yeah. I don't know where–" As if on cue, Pichu fell out of the sky and into Summer's lap. I laughed. She looked so cute, smiling at her Pichu. It grabbed a ukulele from behind it's back and played a few notes. Summer giggled, and petted it on it's head. "Hey, Pichu."

"Well, we should go inside. Ben, why don't you carry Summer and Ukulele Pichu into the house." Nick suggested. I nodded, and went inside. I set Summer down on the couch, and sat down next to her. Nick and Booker walked in next.

"So, what happened?" Booker asked. "To both of ya."

"Um... well, I was captured... and Erin, the girl guarding me, and her sister came up with an escape plan. Which obviously worked. Summer captured J– Blue Eyes, and then I was given back to Summer in exchange." I explained. "But Red Eyes threw a bunch of Voltorbs around us, and I protected Summer."

"That's how he got the gash." Summer added. "I got him back to Rand's on Entei– long story, I'll explain later– and Dr. Edward came to heal him."

"Oh, that's what he was there for?" I asked sarcastically. "I thought he was there to kill me!"

"Ben. Stop. It wasn't his fault." Summer reprimanded. I scowled. It was. "Wasn't. Anyway, he failed. Which is why Ben is so bitter with him. He tried his best though."

"Summer healed me." I blurted. "Not that evil doctor. Summer actually brought me back to life."

"Ben, he's not evil." She sighed. "Whatever."

"Why don't you tell you're story. I want to here how this whole Arceus inside your head thing came about." I requested. "And how you can call Entei."

"Or Raikou." Summer added. "Okay. So, I guess it all started when I washed up on Dolce Island. I found little Pichu all alone. And then Booker found both of us. So, we came back here. Nick freaked out a little, thinking that I was replacing him. I told them what had happened up until that point. So, after that, I went on a tour of the island..."

...

"And then, I woke up at Rand's house, and Leanne was crying, and she told me what happened. I ran to see Ben, and I thought I was too late. But Arceus told me I could still save him, which I did. Then we got Pichu and cake here!" Summer finished. I gave her a half smile. Nick gave her a thumbs up. Booker was asleep. I nudged him.

"Huh? What? Oh, great story!" He exclaimed drowsily. "Very interesting."

"Yeah... okay, so now life is as it should be!" Summer grinned. "So... how's everything here?"

"Ah, same old. No new jobs or anything." Nick replied. Summer's eyes lit up, as if she just remembered something.

"Oh, yeah! Murph wanted me to get you to fix the Union!" She declared. This woke Booker up. "There's a hole in the bottom somewhere."

"The Union? Here?" He gasped. He raced out the door. Summer and I just stared after him, while Nick laughed.

"My boss built the union!" He explained. "So, yeah, he's excited. He even put some sort of special tracking device in it."

"Tracking device!" I exclaimed. "I just remembered! I put a tracking device on the Pinchers' base!"

"Great!" Summer grabbed my Styler and started pushing buttons on it. "Now all we need to do is enable the tracking system and it should tell us the exact coordinates!"

"And how do you do that?" I asked. "Because it is obviously disabled."

"Here, let me see. Move this wire here, connect the red one to the green one. Press this button here, and ta-da!" She handed it back to me. Coordinates popped up onscreen. "Wow. I've been talking to Nema WAY too much."

"Wow, thanks Summer. Let's see... these coordinates lead us right to..." I paused to make sure I was seeing the map right. There was no way... A familiar voice ripped me from my thoughts

"The middle of the ocean."

**A/N: YES! Update! I am so so so so sorry for the extra ling wait! Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. Who could the mysterious person be? I added some romance in here. Ben's little slip up was fun to write, along with all the transporting mishaps. Well, until next time!**


	13. The Submarine (Part One)

(Summer's POV)

"The middle of the ocean." Ben and I whipped around to face the speaker. I should've been surprised, but I really wasn't. "Smart hiding place, huh?"

"Oh, hey Erin." Ben greeted. I waved. "What's up?"

"I looked everywhere for you two! I had to make sure you were okay." She exclaimed. "The older Ranger guy said you went to the boat. The boat guy said you disappeared!"

"So what led you here?" I asked. "And yes, sorry about Murph. He's a bit..."

'Dumb? Idiotic? Confused?' Arceus suggested. "Oh, I know! Stupid!"

"That's rude, and you know it!" I scolded. "Murph can be a bit... vague at times."

'Vague? Seriously, he's more than vague.' I really wished he wouldst just shut up. 'Shut up? And you're calling me rude. You're rude, and apparently you have short term memory loss! Did you forget Pichu's ukulele?'

"Right! Nick, can you fix Pichu's ukulele?" I requested. I noticed Erin looking at me weird. "Sorry. Talking to the annoying, self-centered, rude Pokèmon in my head that apparently CANNOT SHUT UP!"

"Now I'm really confused." Erin backed away a bit. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh... it's a long story." Ben laughed. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay... anyway, my sister is in charge of this base. It's a submarine." Erin explained. "Ben, you remember the little cell Red Eyes locked you in?"

"Yeah. How could I forget?" Ben confirmed. "Bleak, dull, and uncomfortable. Not to mention miserable."

"Well obviously." Erin giggled. "Red Eyes had you tied to the wall, gagged and blindfolded. And you thought your best friend was dead!"

"He what?" I growled menacingly. "I can't believe them! When I get my hands on that red eyed freak, he'll wish he was never even born!"

"Summer! He had no choice!" Ben reprimanded. No choice? Why was Ben sticking up for him? "He was forced into joining the Pinchers! He had to join to save someone he cared about."

"Just like us." Erin murmured. "Just like what Jen and I had do."

"I had no idea." I mumbled. "Who... who did you do it for? They must've meant a lot to you, for you to give up everything like that."

"It's... not important." Her eyes flickered to Ben. She pulled me aside, and lowered her voice so that only I could hear. "We were lied to. He's in more danger than ever now."

"Maybe I could help." I suggested. "If you could tell me his name."

"I..." Erin glanced back at Ben once more. "I can't. I should... but... Summer, be careful. Promise me, that if I take you to the submarine, you will be careful."

"Okay. I will." I agreed. "But–"

'SUMMER!' I whipped around just as Celebi barreled into me. 'We have a BIG problem. Back in the past.'

"Did something happen to Ravio?" I asked worriedly. "Or Kira? Tanvir?"

"Is that Celebi?" Erin gasped. I didn't have time to answer, because the world around began to fade. Time travel. Again. Soon I found myself standing in front of the temple in the past. Kira and Tanvir were standing nervously at the doors. The closed doors. Last time I was there, they were open.

"I can't believe him! Tanvir, what should we do!" Kira was saying. She pounded at the doors. "RAVIO!"

"Guys!" I shouted, running up to them. They turned to face me. "What's going on? Where's Ravio?"

"Some guy from inside the temple kidnapped him!" Tanvir exclaimed. Kira glared at him. "What?"

"It was a temple priest, like we used to be." Kira corrected. "I just don't understand! They're supposed to protect us. Why would they want Ravio?"

"Does it matter? We need to get Ravio back!" I exclaimed. "Arceus, now would be a good time for you to stop ignoring me."

'I wasn't ignoring you!' Arceus retorted. 'If you would allow me to–"

"Just tell me what to do!" I shouted. Kira and Tanvir were both very confused. "How do I open this door?"

'Have you tried an attack? An aura sphere would work.' Arceus suggested. Great. I had no idea how to do that! "Oh, that's easy. Sorta focus your energy on where you want the attack to hit.'

"Worth a try." I muttered. I held my hands out towards the door, and focused my energy into breaking it down. I heard an explosion, and when I looked, there was a smoldering pile of wood and stone. But we could get in.

'Or you could make it explode. That works too.' Arceus chuckled. That obviously wasn't an aura sphere. Kira and Tanvir just gaped at where the door was.

"Woah." Tanvir breathed. Then he grinned at Kira. "I told you talking to yourself is useful!"

"I don't think she was talking to herself..." Kira looked at me curiously. "You said Arceus."

"Long story, no time!" I exclaimed. I stood in front of the pile of debris. "CHARGE!"

We stormed into the temple, avoiding all types Pokèmon. We came across another closed door. I did the exploding trick on it again. It really came in handy. Inside, there was a man in a steel outfit. It was really strange. Behind him, Ravio was tied to the wall. He saw us, and his eyes lit up.

"You came to save me!" He sounded surprised. "How did you get in?"

"No time! This guy's about to attack!" I shouted. I instinctively reached to turn on my Capture Styler. It wasn't there. "My Styler!"

'You could blow him up.' Arceus suggested. 'It might work.'

"Arceus!" I scolded. "Any other attacks I could use?"

"Summer!" I looked over at Ravio. "I'm really confused, but if you need a Pokèmon attack, try Aura Sphere! That ones good."

"Um, yeah. Already tried that, ended up exploding the door. Unless you want this dude blown to bits, suggest something else." I went through the different attacks I learned about in my head. Wait... confused. Confusion! That should give us enough time to get out of here! "That's it! Arceus, how do I confuse this guy!"

'Focus on him being confused.' Something told me all Pokèmon attacks were like that. But I did just that. 'You did it!'

"I did?" The man was looking around like he had no idea what was going on. I winced as he collapsed. Well, no use leaving him there. I untied Ravio, and we carried him out of the temple.

"What... happened?" The man asked when he awoke outside. "What's going on?"

"You kidnapped Ravio!" I growled accusingly. "And you attacked us!"

"I what?" He gasped. "No way! I would never... I am so sorry. I was listening to the leader of the light temple."

"Dad." Ravio muttered. "Why? Why did he tell you to kidnap me!"

"I don't remember!" The priest looked at me again. "I am so sorry for the trouble I have caused."

"No problem." I replied. I glanced at Ravio. His statement troubled me. Why would his father do that? "Ravio... are you okay?"

"Fine." He mumbled. "How's your partner?"

"Alive. He had me worried. Almost left me. Then I'd be stuck with Rand and Murph!" I joked. "Two other Rangers. If you can call Murph a Ranger..."

"Well, that's good. Celebi, thank you for helping Summer." Ravio smiled. "You should probably get back."

"Uh... yeah. Ben and Erin are probably freaking out!" I laughed. The world started to fade again. "Bye Ravio. See you again!"

We were back in my own time. Erin was searching the beach and Ben was pacing back and forth. Pichu was freaking out looking for me.

"What'd I miss?" I asked, making my presence known. "Nothing too important I hope."

"SUMMER!" Ben ran up and hugged me. Pichu let out a delighted squeak, and hopped on top of my head. "Where were you? I was so worried!"

"I had a little business to take care of in the past." I replied. "It was fun."

'Oh, yes. Exploding temple doors is very fun.' Arceus added sarcasteically. 'I'm sure the improvement was appreciated.'

"Well, at least I got them to open. Even if it wasn't the most practical way." I defended. "Ben! If you were trapped in a locked room, and the only way I could get you out was to blow up the door, would you want me to do that?"

"Sure... Summer." He replied cautiously. "Why not?"

"Hey, so, guys?" Ben and I turned to face Erin. "Are we heading to the submarine or not?"

...

(Ben's POV)

"Sure. Don't know how we'll get there." I shrugged. "It is in the middle of the ocean."

"I could–"

"No, Summer." I knew what she was going to say. She wanted to teleport us. And what happened EVERY time she teleported. We landed two feet away in the water. "If you teleport, we'll drown. Do you really want that?"

"Well, at the moment–"

"Don't answer that question."

"Wow... so, anyway, Jen doesn't know I'm here. Course, she also doesn't know if you guys ever made it out of the Ruins. She was really mad at Red Eyes for the Voltorb stunt." Erin informed us. "Good to see you're okay."

"Well... Ben saved me." Summer replied. I blushed when she latched onto my arm. "It was so brave! He's my hero!"

"It was nothing, really. You saved me first." I pointed out. "Besides, what was I going to do? Let you get hurt? Like I did?"

"You got hurt?" Erin exclaimed. "Oh, Jen is going to murder Red Eyes now!"

"It was worse than that, actually." Summer corrected, as if me dying was some completely normal that happened every day. Of course, now that Summer was possessed by Arceus, who knows what sort of trouble we'll get in? "I'm not possessed! Anyway, yeah. Dr. Edward tried to help, but it didn't work."

"Edward!" Erin gasped. She looked at me worriedly. "Ben... he didn't... oh, not again!"

"Yeah." I confirmed. She was referring to the fact that Edward was a coldblooded killer. "Of course, SOMEONE refuses to believe me."

"He is not a coldblooded killer!" Summer exclaimed. I hated it that she could read my mind. "He is a nice doctor who tried his best to save you!"

"Wait, wait!" Erin shouted. "He actually died!"

"Uh, yeah." My partner replied. Like it was obvious. "The doctor said that he'd lost a lot of blood. And you do notice how pale he is, right?"

"Well, yes, but..." Erin looked troubled. I self-conciously held out my arm and looked at it. Summer was right. My skin was rather pale. It made me look like a ghost. "So... he's... a ghost?"

"No!" I denied quickly. "It's a long story."

"It looks like I was right after all." Erin mumbled. "This is bad. Really bad!"

"Summer! How great to see you." We whipped around to face the speaker. Edward. He was surprised to see me. Alive. He narrowed his eyes a bit, and when he spoke there was disdain in his voice. "And Ben! What a surprise to see you! Alive."

"Edward." Erin growled. "What do you want?"

"Why, if it isn't Erin! How is your sister?" Edward smiled at her. But it obviously wasn't genuine. He was angry about me surviving. "Summer, can you fetch me my coat? It seems I left it back at Tilt Village."

"Sure!" She raced off. A trap. This was a trap. Erin and I were in big trouble. As soon as Summer was out of earshot, Edward glared at us.

"How are you alive?" He snarled. "You were dead! When I left, you were dead!"

"It doesn't matter how he's alive." Erin stepped in front of me. "You promised you'd leave him alone!"

"Oh, Erin, Erin. Shouldn't you know better than to trust me, of all people. I would've killed him a long time ago, if it weren't for the fact I couldn't find him." Edward laughed. "You know, Jake lost his little sister in a house fire three years ago. He doesn't know that, of course. You do know what caused the fire."

"You... you killed his sister?" Erin gasped. "He'll be devastated."

"Is Jake..." I didn't have to finish. I already knew. Jake was Red Eyes. He had joined to protect someone he cared about. His sister. That had to be it. "Why would you do something so terrible?"

"Easy. Now, I could kill you right now. But that's wouldn't be any fun, would it?" Edward smirked. "You had better watch your back, Ranger. Because, I will get you when you least expect it."

"Edward, is this your jacket?" I noticed Summer had reappeared behind him. She hadn't heard any of it. Erin had her fists clenched, and was staring at the ground. I put a hand on her shoulder. Summer noticed Erin's mood, and came over.

"Erin? What's wrong?" She asked. "Erin?"

"I..." Erin looked up at Summer and I. I shook my head. Summer didn't need to know about Edward. Not yet. "It doesn't concern you. Come on. We should get to the submarine."

"If your sure..." Summer agreed hesitantly. "Okay, so no transporting to the sub. But how about to the Union?"

"Fine. Erin, hope you don't mind getting wet." I warned. She nodded. Summer grinned and grabbed my hand again. There was a bright flash, and suddenly I was soaked again. I looked over at the girls. Erin was also soaked, but Summer was unsurprisingly barely damp.

"MURPH!" She shouted. Murph looked down at us from on the boat. I waved, and he tossed down a rope. We climbed onto the boat, and Murph handed Erin and I towels.

"Hey guys! Oh, and you're that girl who came by earlier! Hey!" Murph greeted enthusiastically. "What's up?"

"We need you to take us to these coordinates." Summer showed Murph the location of the sub. He was confused for a moment. "Just do it."

"Um... okay?" Murph was about to grab the wheel when suddenly Booker emerged from below deck. He noticed Murph and ran over.

"Hey! Maybe I should drive this." He suggested. Murph nodded in agreement. "Oh, hey Summer, Ben, new girl. Where're we going?"

"These coordinates." Summer ran over and showed Booker the coordinates. "I know, it's in the middle of the ocean. There's a submarine there, and we need to get in."

"Alright. Off we go!" The boat started moving, out towards the ocean. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a good idea. Summer was still chatting with Booker, so I decided to talk to Erin about what Edward said.

"What are we going to tell Jen?" I asked. "She has to know."

"You don't understand." She muttered. Her eyes were fixed on the ground. But then she looked up me. "He wants to kill you! He killed Jake– Red Eyes's sister. He's trying to break them. Edward wants to take away everything both of them ever cared about."

"What about you?" I asked. "You mean a lot to Jen."

"He wants me on the team. I know that." She replied uneasily. She obviously wasn't sure herself. "Our parents our gone. I'm the only one Jen has left. And you... I think she sees you as her brother, or maybe even her own child. Which is why she's so protective of you. If Edward killed you... she would be devastated. Just like Red Eyes. When he finds out about his sister."

"You knew her?" I asked, putting and arm around her. She nodded. "How?"

"I may have told you before. Jen knew Jake– I mean, Red Eyes– when she was your age. I was like, five then. His sister was barely three months old. She was so cute!" Erin exclaimed. She smiled slightly. "Her name was Susie. I just can't believe she's really gone."

"I'm so sorry." I mumbled. "I had no idea..."

"Hey! Why the downcast faces!" Summer skipped over to us. "We're here!"

"We are?" I looked out towards the ocean, half expecting to see the submarine. "Where?"

"Jen?" Erin had pulled out a transmitter. "Can you bring the sub up? I need to get in."

'Sure thing sis." Jen responded. Soon, the submarine appeared above water. 'Need an escort?'

"Uh... no, I have one here with me! Don't worry!" Erin exclaimed, before shutting off the transmitter. "You two need disguises."

"Like?" I was skeptically. What in the world couldn't she mean by a disguise?

...

"Uh..." I was still in my normal clothes. Summer was wearing a Pincher uniform. She looked amazing in it. As usual. The t-shirt was tight, and outlined her figure. The pants were about an inch longer than her usual ones. The vest completed the outfit, hanging loosely. I realized that I was probably staring, and I looked down, blushing.

"Ben, I need you to pretend that we've captured you." Erin ordered. "Summer, you just act like a normal Pincher."

"I don't look very captured." I pointed out. "People will be suspicious."

"Well, we could knock you out." Summer suggested. "Or... Murph, hand me that rope."

"Wait! Summer–" She pulled my scarf over my mouth as a makeshift gag. I glared at her, and she just grinned innocently. Soon, I was tied up and gagged AND blindfolded. Again.

"Perfect!" Summer exclaimed. "If you need to tell me something, just think it."

I could think of several things I'd like to say to her. That probably weren't very nice. Hopefully I'd be free of this stupid act soon.

"Let's go." Erin declared. The hatch of the submarine opened, and we all entered. Well, Summer had to somewhat pull me because I couldn't see.

"Erin! Ah, looks like our old visitor is back!" There was an unfamiliar voice. Something grabbed me on the shoulder roughly. "Need me to take him to the prison hold for you?"

"I think we can handle this." Summer replied. "Right, Erin?"

"That's right." Erin agreed. "Can you inform my sister that I'm coming down? She needs to see the prisoner for herself."

"Alright." I heard him walk away. That was a close call. There was no way I was going back to that cell! We walked the rest of the way with no problems. Soon, Erin pulled off my blindfold and gag. Jen was standing in front of us, probably wondering what we were doing.

"Hey... Jen." I mumbled. I could tell she didn't recognize Summer, and probably thought I'd been captured again. "Funny seeing you here!"

"Yes. Very." She replied flatly. "Shouldn't you be with your partner?"

"Jen!" Summer took off her hat. "Don't worry. I am his partner. He isn't captured. It was and act to get down here."

"Oh!" Jen smiled. Then she noticed Erin's downcast face. "I take it you have bad news?"

"Well, no–"

"Actually," I interrupted my partner. "We do. Summer, could you... uh... go get Pichu!"

"Sure thing!" She grinned, before disappearing to wherever Pichu was. I took a deep breath. Jen wasn't going to be happy. I was about to tell her what happened, but Erin spoke first.

"Susie is dead!" She blurted. Jen took a step back in surprise. "And if we don't do something, Ben will be too!"

"What?" I whipped around, hoping that it wasn't Red– Jake, I guess– who'd overheard. It wasn't. But that was no reason to believe. The person standing there shocked was not Jake.

It was Summer.

**A/N: And Summer finds out! Sort of. She knows SOMEONE wants to kill Ben. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, exploding doors and all. ;) Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, since I left you with a cliffhanger. Haha, yeah. Like last time. Sorry. Thanks for reading!**

**I do not own Pokèmon.**

**Yeah, just realized that I've been forgetting the disclaimer. XD**


	14. The Submarine (Part Two)

(Summer's POV)

I sorta just stood there for a moment. I wanted to believe I'd heard Erin wrong. No one was trying to kill Ben. There was no way. But her previous words came back to me. 'We were lied to. He's in more danger now than ever.' Could it be... that she was talking about Ben?

"S-Summer! What are you doing back so soon!" Ben gasped. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh nothing important. Only the fact that someone wants to kill you!" I spat. "Why do you seem so unsurprised?"

"Well... I kinda knew someone wanted me dead..." He replied. "But, hey, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Listen, okay. We all know someone is after Ben." Jen declared. Her eyes flashed with a pain I couldn't put a name to. "Red Eyes will be devastated about Susie. What happened?"

"He set the house on fire." Erin mumbled. "Whatever he's planning... Ben, you aren't safe anymore. He would have killed you a long time ago if he had the chance."

"He lied to us." Jen growled. "Doesn't he see? He's ruined our lives! Taking away Susie... that was all Jake had."

"Jake?" I shot Ben a questioning glance. Jen ignored me.

"You know what? I quit! What difference does it make? I quit, I quit, I QUIT!" The blue eyed leader screamed. "And Jake will too. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO NOW? KILL US? KILL BEN AND SUSIE? TOO LATE THERE! YOU TRAITOR!"

"Jen, I heard you screaming! What's going on!" I noticed Red Eyes had run into the room. "Jen?"

"I QUIT!" She looked at her fellow leader. "That stupid doctor is a liar! He lied!"

"What?" Red Eyes was confused. I was too. "Jen, what are you talking about?"

"Jake..." Erin walked cautiously over to Red Eyes. "Susie is dead."

"W-what? No. NO!" Red Eyes gasped. "But... he promised... to leave her alone."

"She's been dead for three years." Ben put in. "He told us himself."

"Who told you?" I asked, annoyed at being ignored. "What's going on?"

"I... I can't believe... Jen?" Red Eyes looked towards Jen. She gazed ahead blankly. "He's going to kill him too, isn't he."

"Yes." Jen nodded sadly, her blue eyes fogged over by grief. "And he'll go after Erin. He'll destroy everything I ever cared about... Everything..."

"WHO?" I screeched. I was sick and tired of them ignoring me. "WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"You wouldn't believe us." Ben sighed. "You'll find out. Eventually."

"But–"

'Summer, it is probably best if you don't know for now.' Arceus's voice rang out in my head. 'But I must warn you. You were able to save him once. You may not be so fortunate if it were to happen again. Protect him well.'

"I..." I was at a loss for words. If Ben died again... Arceus was basically telling me I wouldn't be able to save him. I couldn't believe it. Someone wanted to kill him. And I wouldn't be able to save him.

"Summer?" Ben asked caustiously. He grabbed my hand. "Did Arceus say something?"

"Y-yes." I stuttered. "He said something... about you... that scared me."

"What did he say?" Ben squeezed my hand tighter. "Summer?"

'Don't scare him.' Arceus warned. 'Don't make him worry. He is worried enough as it is.'

"Um... nothing. Nothing important." I exclaimed. "So... um... yeah. Nothing important."

If only that were true...

...

(Ben's POV)

"Okay, Ben. Erin and I are joining up with you. I can't stand it here any longer!" Jen growled. "Jake, if you were wise, you'd come too."

'Oh, Jennifer. I'm sorry you feel that way.' I looked around wildly for where the voice was coming from. I knew it was Edward. 'I suppose I don't need you. Tell you what, to be fair, I will give you an hour to get out. After that hour is up, the submarine will explode. Starting now.'

To make matters worse, the submarine suddenly crashed into a rock. Jake, Erin, and I grabbed onto something. Jen and Summer weren't so lucky. Jen fell backwards into a seat, which toppled to the floor. Summer went careening into the control board. She hit her head, and I saw her slump down, unconcious.

"SUMMER!" I screamed. Once the stopped shuddering from the impact, I ran over to her. She had a large cut on her forehead. Erin came over too, and checked over her.

"Hmm... this is not good. Pulse is missiny, breathing is missing. She may not even be alive." Erin informed me. I brushed some of the hair out of my partner's face. "But we need to get out of here. If what's Edward said is true, we have about 49 minutes."

"What about Summer?" Jake asked. I noticed the worry in his voice. Whay was he so worried about her? I lifted her into my arms, holding her carefully. "Ben?"

"I'll carry her." I declared. "It's the best way."

"Ben, you realize this could be dangerous! What if you fall? Or we don't get out in time?" I couldn't blame Jen for worrying about me, especially after what Erin said. Like a mother protecting her child, she didn't want me to get hurt. And she knew Edward would kill me.

"I don't care. Summer means the world to me." I frowned. Jen was about to say something more, but Jake put a hand on her shoulder.

"I... I understand." She sighed. "Be careful."

"45 minutes!"

"Kay, Erin! We're hurrying!" Jake called back to the girl, who was already standing in the doorway. "Ben. Promise me you'll protect her. Even if..."

"Of course! But... why do you care so much?" I asked. Jake looked away. "Jake?"

"It isn't important!" He snapped. "Let's go."

"Jake–"

"DROP IT!"

...

(Summer's POV)

"Summer?"

"I think she's hurt!"

"What do we do?"

"Huh?" I sat up groggily. Looking at my surroundings, I immediately realized I wasn't in the submarine. For one thing, I was on dry land. For another, Ravio, Kira, and Tanvir were hovering over me. "What am I doing here?"

"Summer! You're awake! I was worried." Ravio exclaimed. "You just appeared hear unconscious."

"The submarine crashed!" I shouted. The others looked at me weirdly. "I was in a submarine... you probably have no idea what that is. But, anyway, it crashed into some rocks!"

"Well, that can't be good. Were you alone?" Kira asked. "You look pretty beat up."

"No, I was with my partner... Ben! He could be hurt!" I gasped. "And even if he isn't, he's probably freaking out about me being missing."

'No worries!'

"Celebi!" I shouted, as the green Pokèmon appeared in front of me. "You scared me!"

'Sorry. But, anyway, you're still back in your time. Your body is, anyway.' She explained cheerfully. 'If you didn't notice, you aren't exactly human right now. Darkrai helped!'

"What do you mean?" I asked. Not exactly human. Ravio must have figured something out. He reached his arm out to touch my arm. I was just as surprised as he was when his hand went straight through my arm as if he were trying to touch air.

'You're a ghost, I suppose that's what you'd call it. I hope you don't mind.' Celebi smiled. 'But you are right. Ben is probably freaking out.'

"So I'm pretty much dead." I guessed. "Well, that's nice."

"Don't worry, Summer. Celebi will bring you back." Ravio assured me. "Right, Celebi?"

'Right!' She exclaimed, nodding so that those who couldn't understand got it. 'And, Summer? You may be stuck here for an hour or so.'

"An hour!" I gasped. "The sub is gonna blow up in an hour!"

'Oh. Well, I could send you back now...' Celebi sighed. 'Well... can you stay a bit longer? It might be dangerous for you to go back now. Say... fifteen minutes?'

"Fine." I resigned. "But only for fifteen minutes."

...

(Ben's POV)

"Erin?" We had progressed through the crashed submarine pretty well. By now, I was less worried about us not getting out in time. And more worried about Summer. She was still unconscious.

And still not breathing.

"Hmm?"

"Is Summer going to be okay?" I asked. I was kinda scared of the answer. "Tell me the truth."

"Honestly..." She started. "I hate to say it, but... I think there isn't much hope of saving her. She hasn't had a pulse for ten minutes now. I'm starting to doubt that she's even alive."

"What!" Jake growled. Again with the unexplained worry. He cared. A lot. "You're saying she's dead!"

"Erin, come on. She can't be!" I exclaimed. "There has to be a chance. however slim!"

"Ben. I'm sorry, but things like this happen. It can't be helped." She placed a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away. Erin looked at me sadly. I glanced down at Summer. The red of the blood on her forehead contrasted with the pale skin of her face. Jake pointed at my scarf. I nodded, and he took it off and pressed it to the gash on Summer's forehead. I couldn't help but notice how cold she was. Stone cold, and unmoving. No pulse. No breathing.

"Erin's probably right, you know." Jake mumbled. "There's no way she could survive without oxygen this long. Her brain would die, and once that happens, there is no hope."

"I know." I sighed. "It's just... she means the world to me. I couldn't bear losing her."

"You love her." Jake stated. He was right. I did love her. She was my world. "I can't believe Edward. He killed my sister, and now he's after you. I see why Jen is so angry. He's a murderer."

"He did kill me." I corrected, remembering how Summer had to bring me back. "You see the wound on my side? Rand called him to fix it. And my leg. Which, don't tell Summer, still has no feeling whatsoever. He gave me something that looked like medicine. And then I couldn't breathe."

"The injurues were my fault." He muttered. "I could have hurt Summer too. I don't know what I was thinking. I am so grateful that you saved her."

"Why do you care so much about Summer?" I asked. "Do you know her somehow?"

"Well... yes." Jake sighed. "She's my sister."

...

(Summer's POV)

"Can I go back now?" I asked. "It's been twelve minutes. Please!"

"You sure are eager to get back." Ravio laughed. "Even though the sub... uh... whatever it's called is gonna blow up."

"Submarine." Kira corrected. She was quite obviously bored. "Can we play a game or something? Like tag. Or hide and seek. Or we could blindfold Ravio and watch him run into things."

"I like the last one." Tanvir agreed. "That would be funny."

"Guys!" Ravio shouted. "That isn't nice."

"Oh! I have a game! One of us duct tapes another of us to the wall. And then the other two of us find a way to free them!" I suggested. "I played it once with my friends Kate, Keith, and Ben. Kate wanted to use a chainsaw to get Ben out. Oh, and Keith wanted to set the tape on fire!"

"Mind telling us what duct tape and chainsaw means?" Kira requested "In case you haven't noticed, you are from the future."

"Right... okay. So maybe we use rope instead of duct tape. And the chainsaw was a bad idea to begin with. Kate ended up going with that, claiming it wouldn't cause any damage." I recalled. "You can guess where that landed us. Actually, you probably can't. But Kate got suspended again. And Ben was in the emergency room for two weeks. So, yeah. Not a good idea."

"But we can use the fire?" Tanvir grinned. "Cause that'd be awesome."

"No, that'd be painful." I corrected. "Besides, I get to go back in a minute or so. Do you guys have any funny stories? Those are always fun."

"Ravio got stuck in a tree once." Kira declared. "And he wouldn't jump down. Eventually, the branch broke, and he fell. It was funny."

"Sounds like it. You know... apparently I must only have Arceus in my head when I'm not a ghost. Kinda miss him." I laughed. "Kind of."

'Summer! Fifteen minutes is up.' Celebi informed. I nodded, and waved to my friends. The world once again faded around me. 'Have fun!'

With that, the world went black.

**A/N: HEY! :) Here is an update! It may be a bit slow since I'm on vacation. I only have Internet so often. The place I'm staying doesn't have any, so at least I can work on it. And so... Jake/Red Eyes is Summer's brother! And Kate has a chainsaw. XD. Thanks for reading! Until next time!**

**I don't own Pokèmon.**


	15. Explosion!

(Ben's POV)

"You're her brother?" I gasped. "But... how? Summer is an only child."

"Or so she thinks." Jake corrected. "I was sixteen when she was born. I moved out of the house three years later. Actually, I wanted to be a Ranger. But I wanted to go out and see the world first. Susie wanted to come too, so of course I brought her. When I became a Pincher, I made sure no one knew she was my sister, not even her. I knew Edward would go after her, too. The only people who know are my parents... and you, now."

"Hey, you could still be a Ranger! I'm sure Hastings will let you join!" I suggested. Jake shrugged. We walked in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, I felt Summer stir. I looked down at her. She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. "Summer!"

"Hey, Ben." She smiled. "My head hurts much worse than it did two minutes ago... Ugh..."

"You're alive!" I exclaimed happily. I set her on the ground. She stood up groggily. I hugged her, ecstatic that she was okay. When we broke apart, Summer was in for a surprise. Jake came up and hugged her too. He was a good brother for her. Jake stepped away, and I realized that the other girls were way ahead of us.

"Jake, we gotta catch up!" I picked Summer up again. There was no way I was letting her run in her condition. "ERIN! JEN!"

"Ben?" The girls stopped, giving us time to catch up. I put Summer down for now. Jen immediately began checking over me for any injuries.

"What were you doing? You could have gotten hurt, or worse!" She scolded. Jake laughed a little, until Jen turned to glare at him. "Same goes for you, Jacob."

"Whatever, _Jennifer_." Jake taunted. Jen scowled. "I'm sorry we were too excited about Summer being alive yo keep up."

"No way! Summer!" Erin grinned. "We thought for sure you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint." Summer replied. "But I'm pretty alive. I'm not a ghost. Both the boys checked. A hug from each."

"Red Eyes hugged you!" Erin giggled. "Well, that doesn't sound like him at all."

"I can hug you too, if you're jealous." Jake offered. Erin shook her head. "Alright. Suit yourself. Jen?"

"You're kidding." She laughed. "You never hug anyone."

"He hugged me." Summer pointed out. "Am I not anyone?"

"35 minutes!" Erin shouted. "We reallly should get going. We have one stop to make anyway."

"What's that?" I asked. "Did you forget something?"

"Pichu Pi! Pi chu!" Ukulele Pichu was jumping up and down, looking around wildly. Summer nodded, as if she could understand it. She probably could.

"Pichu's friends are on here!" She shouted. "That's why we have to stop!"

"In here!" Erin exclaimed, pulling us into a room. She tugged at the door of a cage. "Open!"

"Allow me." Summer smirked. She stepped forward, and held out her hands. Suddenly, the door to the cage exploded. "Exploding doors. Very useful. Comes from a messed up attempt at aura sphere."

"Pi chu!" About ten different Pichu jumped out. Ukulele Pichu played a note on its ukulele. "Chu..."

"AW! SO CUTE!" Erin squealed. She grabbed five of the Pichu in her arms, and hugged them tight. "You're just so cute! Who's the cutest Pokèmon? Pichu! I could just hug you forever."

I don't think they liked that idea.

"Pi... CHU!" Erin screamed as the Pichu shocked her. She collapsed to the ground, a comical smile plastered on her face.

"Or maybe not." She squeaked. She then stood up. "Alright, let's get out of here."

...

We got out of the sub with five minutes to spare, according to Erin. I quickly took a head count. Erin, Jen, Summer, Jake, Ukulele Pichu, Pichu 1, Pichu 2, Pichu 3, Pichu 4, Pichu 5, Pichu 6, Pichu 7, Pichu 8, Pichu 9...

We were missing a Pichu.

"Guys, we're one Pichu short!" I shouted. "It must have gotten stuck! I'm going back for it."

"Ben!" Summer grabbed my arm. "What if the sub explodes while you're still in there?"

"That's a risk I'll have to take." I jerked my arm free, and swam back into the sub. Four minutes. I spotted a Pichu trying to pull its tail free from some rubble. I helped it out. Three minutes. Some more rubble blocked the entrance. Pichu and I pulled at it, trying to move it. We managed to get a small hole open. There was no way I was going to get through. I pushed Pichu through the hole. Best to save it. One minute. I desperately pulled at the rubble. There was no way I would make it out in time. Thirty seconds...

...

(Ssummer's POV)

"Where is he?" Ben should have been out by now. "Erin, how much time does he have?"

"Ten seconds." She muttered. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three... two..."

The sub exploded.

And Ben was nowhere to be found.

"No!" I shouted. The rubble from the submarine had mostly settled now. I dug through it. "Ben! Ben!"

"He was still in there..." Jen murmured. "The sub exploded, and he was still in there."

"Summer?" I looked towards the speaker. Red Eyes. He was holding up something. I swam over. It was Ben's jacket. The same one I had. It was torn, and ripped. I grabbed it, and examined it. There were red stains on it. That scared me. "This is all I could find. If he was in the sub when it exploded..."

"He'd be blown to bits..." Erin finished. "There's no way he could have survived."

"Let's get away from here." Jen muttered. "Far away. Thinking about him dying like that... get me away from here!"

"We'll swim to the surface." Red Eyes suggested. He grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry. I know how much he meant to you."

"Why do you care?" I spat. "You're not sorry."

"Summer Minami!" The older man yelled. How did he know my middle name? "That is no way to speak to your older brother! I know Mom raised you better than that!"

"What are you talking about! I'm an only child!" I shouted back. "Besides, if you were my brother, don't you think I'd know?"

"Summer... I left with Susie when you were three. When I was forced to join the Pinchers, I made sure no one knew about you. Or you could've been hurt. Or killed. Like Susie..." Red Eyes mumbled. "But you may remember my name. Jake. I sent you presents at Christmas and on your birthday."

"Jake... so that was you?" I asked. He nodded. "Oh. Thank you."

"What are brothers for? Come on, let's go." He smiled. We swam to the surface. I held onto Ben's jacket. It was the only the I had left of him. Of course, I didn't know what the point of going to the surface was. We were in the middle of the ocean. But, surprisingly, the Union was still there.

"HEY!" Murph called. He sent a rope ladder down. We all climbed onto the ship. "Okay... Pincher girl, Jen, Red Eyes, Summer, eleven Pichus, and... hey! Where's Ben?"

"The submarine exploded." Red Eyes– er, Jake replied. "Ben was still inside."

"You mean... he's really... dead?" Murph gasped. "Oh, man. Summer, is there any way you could save him?"

"I don't know..." I muttered. "Arceus, any ideas?"

'And she talks to me!' Arceus exclaimed. 'Unfortunately, no. Healing isn't my area. Ask Celebi.'

'Ask me what?' I whipped around. Celebi had appeared behind me. 'Oh, never mind. We have more trouble in the past!'

"What did Ravio do this time?" I sighed. Celebi flew up to me, and once more the world faded around me. But Athens last moment I felt something grab my wrist. I ignored it, because I was back in Ravio's time. Kira and Tanvir were once again standing outside the temple. Ravio, unsurprisingly, was missing.

"Summer!" I whipped around. That voice wasn't Tanvir or Kira. "Where are we?"

"Jake!" I shouted. "How... what are doing here!"

"I grabbed your hand when that Celebi showed up and kidnapped you!" He exclaimed. "I was being a good brother. What was I supposed to do?"

"Summer! Hey, you came!" The others had noticed me now. They ran over. Tanvir grinned. Kira looked quizzically at Jake. "Who's this?"

"I am her brother." Jake growled protectively, stepping in front of me. "Where are we? Why did Celebi try to kidnap her?"

"Celebi didn't kidnap me, Jake." I declared, walking around him. "Where's Ravio?"

"He ran into the temple." Tanvir explained. "Kira told him not to, but did he listen? No."

"Sounds like Ravio." I laughed. "So, let me guess. You want me to go save his tail again. That boy needs to learn to listen. Sounds a lot like..."

"Ben." Jake finished, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Who is this Ravio person, anyway?"

"He's my cousin." Kira answered. "And he's an idiot. I mean, does he not remember what happened last time?"

"Maybe he wants me to blow up some more doors." I suggested. The others looked at me strangely. "Hey, you never know!"

"Did you bring duct tape and a chainsaw, Summer?" Tanvir asked eagerly. "I really wanna try that thing you told us about!"

"Nobody is duct taping anybody to the wall." I laughed. "I told you what happened to Ben."

"Well, why didn't you bring Ben?" Kira asked. "I mean, you brought this guy."

"The submarine exploded." Jake stated. Kira frowned at him. "What?"

"Yes, Summer informed us on the whole submarine problem. I still don't know what that means, but still. What does that have to do with Ben?" Kira asked. "It sounds pretty irrelevant."

"He was still inside." I mumbled. "The submarine exploded, and he was still inside."

"Oh." The girl from the past replied. "I'm sorry."

"Hey! Guys, Ravio's still in there!" Tanvir reminded us. "They rebuilt the door pretty fast so... Summer?"

"Right." I grinned. I closed my eyes, held out my hands towards the wooden door, and focused on it being gone. There was no explosion this time. I opened my eyes, and was surprised to see the door missing.

'Very nice. A teleport, I believe.' Arceus declared approvingly. 'You're getting better at this. Keep it up, and you could pass for a Pokèmon.'

"I'm gonna say that was a compliment." I replied. "Kay, so. Let's go rescue Ravio! Again."

"Odd battle cry." Jake commented. "But, okay."

"I want my Styler this time." I ordered. "Celebi?"

'Oh, fine.' She agreed. 'Only because you're my friend. And I guess a Ranger is nothing without it.'

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, as my Styler appeared on my arm. "NOW let's go save Ravio! Oh, and Jake? You had better help."

"Okay, Mom." He taunted. "Summer, I hope you know that you can't boss me around."

"I can and I will." I retorted. "Now come on. I needed something to get my mind off Ben anyway."

"Whatever, Summer."

...

(Normal POV)

Deep under the ocean, there is a young boy holding onto a Mantike with one hand, and clutching his bleeding shoulder with the other. There are also wounds on his chest and side. He is struggling to stay conscious, as the Mantike brings him to the surface.

Meanwhile, at the Ranger Union, and older man sits awaiting news from the Rangers in Oblivia. Suddenly, a young Ranger with spiky pigtails runs in with a note.

"Professor Hastings!" She shouts. "Look!"

"What is it, Kate?" He asks. "Something good I hope."

"It's from Murph in Oblivia!" Kate informs him. "It says, 'Dear Professor Hastings, the Wireless Tower is down so this is the best I could do. I have good and bad news. The good news is we got two of the Pincher's leaders to quit. The bad news is that Ben is dead.' Can you believe it! Poor Summer!"

"This is terrible. Kate, can you go to assist Summer? She is without a partner now." Hastings requests. "She must need comforting as well, someone other than Murph."

"Will do, sir." Kate runs out of the room. The professor sighs.

"How did all this happen?"

**A/N: What happened to Ben? Who is the boy under the sea? Why am I asking you this when I already know? XD Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It wasn't very long, but hey! It's an update! I just had to add Kate in there. She's so awesome! :) Yeah, and the last party's in present tense. It fit better. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!**

**I don't own Pokèmon.**


	16. Saving Ravio Again

(Summer's POV)

"Raviol!" I called. "Are you in here? Ravio!"

"Ravio! This is no time for games! Come out, please!" Kira shouted. "Come on, Ravio!"

"Well, he isn't in that room." Jake frowned, as he and Tanvir came back from one of the side rooms. "Any luck in here?"

"Nope." Kira sighed. "Arceus, that boy knows how to get in trouble."

'Definitely.' Arceus agreed, having heard his name mentioned. 'I feel bad for you all. He has a knack for getting into situations like this. Seriously, I–'

"Arceus." I interrupted. "She wasn't talking to you."

'Right.'

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Tanvir asked. "We can't just leave."

"Hey! Summer!" We whipped around. Ravio barreled into me, wrapping his arms around me. "I missed you! Did the subma... submer..."

"Submarine." Jake rolled his eyes. "It's called a submarine."

"Right! Did it explode? Did you get out? Is everybody okay? Are you gonna leave soon?" Ravio asked eagerly. "Kira, I'm sorry I ran off. I wanted to find Summer."

"It's fine." Kira shrugged. "Summer, answer his questions please."

"Okay, yes, yes, no, probably." I replied. "Happy?"

"Who's not okay?" The younger boy gasped. "Is someone hurt? It's not you, right, Summer?"

"No. My partner." I sighed. Ravio looked up at me worriedly. I figured telling him that Ben had been stuck in an exploding submarine wasn't a good idea. "Don't worry, Ravio. Everything will be fine."

"If you say so. You must need to go back." Ravio said. "Celebi, bring Summer and... this guy back, okay?"

'On it!' Celebi glowed again. I grabbed my brother's hand, and soon we were back on the Union. Jen and Erin ran up to us.

"Where have you two been?" Erin exclaimed. "Summer, there's a girl with spiky pig tails waiting for you below deck."

"Kate!" What was she doing here? As if on cue, Kate burst onto the deck. "Hey!"

"Summer!" She grinned, running up to me. "Murph sent a message via Staraptor. Oh, Summer! I am so sorry about Ben! Hastings sent me cause you didn't have a partner. How did it happen?"

"The submarine exploded. Ben was still inside." Jake answered for me. "Summer tried to stop him from going back. He didn't listen."

"That sounds like Ben." Kate sighed. "Stubborn."

"I can't believe he's gone." Jen mumbled. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't freaked out about the leader's lies... he wouldn't of set the sub to explode."

"Who are you three?" Kate asked, addressing the former Pinchers. "Murph never mentioned you."

"The name is Erin. My sister, Jen. And Summer's brother, Jake. We're former Pinchers." Erin introduced. "Ben was like a little brother to me and Jen."

"Summer, I didn't know you had a brother." Kate commented. "I always thought you were an only child."

"Same here." I laughed. "Who would have thought I'd be shot ont of the sky by my own brother!"

"I was aiming for the boy!" Jake defended. "I would never harm you."

"Uh-huh. And aiming for Ben is SO much better." Erin rolled her eyes. Jen still hadn't said much. o was trying to get my mind of losing Ben. Jen was more devastated by the loss than I thought she'd be. I was too, honestly. I just chose not to show it.

"Shut up, Erin." My brother retorted. "And you've been such a big help protecting your brother?"

"Wow..." Kate giggled. "Just... wow."

"SUMMER!" I whipped around. That voice was very, very familiar. "Found you!"

"Ravio! How are you here?" I gasped. "Did you convince Celebi to bring you?"

"Yep!" He exclaimed. "I HAD to come find you! I was worried. So where's your partner? Is it one of them? Cause if he's hurt, you know Celebi can heal him!"

"Um... Ben is..." I stopped myself from saying that he was dead. Ravio didn't need to know that. "Not here."

"Summer, mind introducing us?" Kate requested. "His name is Ravio, right?"

"Oh! I wanna know about you guys! Summer, please tell me! Please!" Ravio begged. "Please, Summer? Summer, will–"

"Shut up already!" Jake exclaimed irritably. "Summer will tell you if you SHUT UP!"

"Sorry." The boy from the past mumbled. "I'll be quiet."

"The cranky one is my brother, Jake. The younger girl with blue eyes is Erin. Then her sister, Jen. A d the girl with the spiky pigtails is my best friend, Kate." I replied. "And when Murph comes out here, it won't be too hard to spot him. So, there we go."

"What about Ben?" Ravio asked. So much for keeping my mind of him. "What does he look like?"

"Well, he had brown hair that stuck straight up. Very gravity defying, actually. And he had warm brown eyes. He wore an outfit a lot like mine." I described. I could feel tears starting to build up. I wasn't going to cry now. "He was the bravest, most selfless boy I ever knew."

"Sounds like you really care about him." Ravio smiled. "But why are you talking about him in past tense? Is he from my time or something? Because I don't remember him. I could ask Kira."

"No, no. He's from this time." I assured him. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be going back now?"

"No. Some people tried to kidnap me again. Kira told me to hide somewhere they'll never find me!" The boy explained. "So I said I'd hang out with you!"

"Well, okay then." There was no way I could keep Ravio out of trouble. If Ben were here,he could help. But he was dead. Really, truly gone. No saving him. All because the Pinchers' leader blew up the submarine.

If I ever found that man, I'd make him pay for what he did.

...

By the time we made it back to Tilt Village, Ravio had found over fifty future things to ask about. And over a hundred different ways to annoy Jake.

"So Jake! What's it like being Summer's brother? Is it fun? Does she play with you a lot? Huh? Huh?" Number 87. Ask as many questions as possible. I was keeping track, jotting down notes for future reference.

Hey, what's the point of having a brother if you can't annoy him?

"Ugh, shut up, kid!" Jake growled. "Stupid kid. Why me?"

"Because you deserve it." I answered. "You did shoot me out of the sky."

"I already told you, I was aiming for the boy!" The older boy replied. "And don't even bring up either Voltorb incident."

"Well, what about rigging the bridge with bombs?" I asked smugly. "Or lying to me about killing Ben?"

"Susie was never this mean!" He complained. "Poor Mom and Dad had to deal with you all these years!"

"Poor Mom and Dad had to deal with YOU for fifteen years before I was born!" I retorted. "And now I have to. So I think we're even."

"You're annoying."

"You're ignorant."

"YOU are crazy."

"And YOU are stupid."

"FREAK!"

"IDIOT!"

"BRAT!"

"JERK!"

"Wow... you two really are siblings." Kate laughed. "You sure fight like it."

"I learnedly a few things from Rav." I declared. "He annoyed Jakey the whole time."

"...Jakey?"

"Also got a few tips from Arceus, bro." I added. "He says Mew calls Raikou 'Raiky', and that gets on his nerves everytime."

"Wonderful."

...

(Ben's POV)

I opened my eyes groggily. I must have passed out. I was on a beach now. It was unfamiliar, but it wasn't the ocean. That was good. I still couldn't believe I was alive. When the sub exploded, I thought I was done for. But I made it. For how long, I didn't know. I knew I had a bad cut on my shoulder. The old cut on my side stung worse than ever. I pressed my hand to the wound, only to find it had been reopened by the explosion. My chest stung too, and I brought my hand up to it. When I looked at it, I found it freshly coated with dark red blood.

I shouldn't be alive.

Sometime after the explosion I had been attacked by Sharpedo. They smelled my blood. One if them caught onto my leg. Same leg that got messed up at the Daybreak Ruins. I tried to sit up, but I collapsed back onto the beach in pain. Stupid injuries. I did manage to see my leg.

Wish I hadn't.

It was bloody and twisted. I winced at the severity. I still couldn't feel it. That couldn't be a good sign. I did notice some of the sand was stained red. By my blood. It was kinda scary. I thought about Summer and Erin and Jen. They probably assumed I was dead.

"Oh my!" A voice exclaimed. I would have looked up, but right now I was too sore. I could tell it was female. "You poor thing!"

The woman propped me up against a tree. I could see her face now. She had pink hair, and was maybe twenty years older than Jen.

"Oh, dear. I should call for help." She frowned. "I'll call Dr. Edward."

"Not Edward." I managed to say. "Not him."

"But he's the only doctor in Oblivia." The woman pointed out. I remembered that Murph was a doctor at one point. He could help.

"Murph." I said. "Not Edward."

"Who's Murph?" She asked. "Do you know where I could find him?"

"Tilt Village. On the Union." I replied. I must have broken some ribs. My chest hurt everytime I took a breath. "Get him."

"Alright. We can contact him from the Resort." The lady said. "My name's Kasa."

"Thank you." I muttered, before slipping into darkness again...

...

I woke up in a bed this time. Kasa was hovering over a stove nearby, cooking something. There was a knock at the door! which I could only assume was Murph.

"You said somebody was hurt and needed me?" Yep, that was Murph. "Well, where is he?"

"Right in here, dear." Kasa replied. Moments later, Murph walked into the room. He froze, eyes wide, when he spotted me. "He's right there."

"Ben!" He shouted, rushing over. "You're alive! Summer said you were dead. The submarine exploded with you inside!"

"Oh my! So that's what happened to the poor dear!" Kasa exclaimed. "Poor thing!"

"What's important is he's alive." Murph sighed. "Ben, I'm so glad you're okay! Kate came to Oblivia, you know. I sent Hastings a message about what happened. I thought you were dead so... that's what I told him. Haha."

"Summer." I barely managed to say her name. It hurt to talk. But I had to know how she was doing. If she thought I was dead, I could only imagine how horrible she felt.

"Summer? Oh, she's fine. Well, she's probably moping in her room at Booker's right now. She was devastated to lose you." Murph replied. "She was telling this kid from the past, Ravio, about you. She was trying not to cry, cause I don't think she wanted him to know... you know, that you were dead."

"Oh, you poor things." Kasa cried. "You're safe now, sweetie. The Aqua Resort is very safe. Don't you worry."

...

(Summer's POV)

"I wonder why someone wanted Murph." Murph had left thirty minutes ago. I was kinda surprised. You would think they'd want Edward.

"Well, he is a certified doctor." Kate pointed out. "Besides, it makes him happy."

"True point." I replied. "I miss Ben."

"We all do Summer." Kate comforted. "But he's in a batter place, you know. And I'm sure he doesn't want you to be miserable without him."

"Yeah... I just wish I could have done something..." I sighed. "It had to hurt."

"Summer! Your friend's calling!" Booker had come to the door of the guest room Kate and I were staying in. He was holding my Styler, which I had taken off. "He wants to talk to you."

"Kay." I grabbed my Styler. "Murph?"

"Summer!" He exclaimed. "You won't believe it!"

"What is it?" I asked. "Call to gloat about your 'job', Dr. Murph?"

"No, no." He laughed. "Ben is alive!"

**A/N: YAY! See, I didn't kill him off! Yeah... I wouldn't do that. Not so early in the story anyways. XD. Hope you guys enjoyed! I appreciate all the reviews! Until next time!**


	17. Ben

**READ THIS WARNING: If you cannot tolerate detailed descriptions of injury and/or blood, you may want to skip some parts of this chapter. If you can tolerate it, read on. If not, look for the * at the beginning of a paragraph. When you see that, skip to the +. There, the descriptions will be over. Enjoy!**

(Summer's POV)

"Murph, this better not be some sick joke." I warned. It was almost impossible to believe that Ben was alive. Kate looked just as shocked as I was. "We saw the sub explode. Ben was still inside. There's no way he could of survived. I... I don't wanna get my hopes up for nothing."

"No, he's really alive!" Murph exclaimed. "Ben, say something to Summer!"

"Hi, Summer." That was Ben. He was alive. He was really okay. Murph wasn't joking. But... how in the world did he survive. He was in the sub when it blew up. There was no possible way. Unless...

'Had to be Mew.' Arceus chuckled. "She loves to play games. She probably saw the sub exploding and did something to save him. Again, thinking it was a game."

"Ben!" I was ecstatic that he was alive. Hopefully nothing like this would happen again. Kate was grinning next to me. I could tell she was happy about Ben as well. "You're alive! Are you hurt? Where are you? Sophian island, right? I'm coming over there! Murph, bring the Union! I have to see Ben!"

"Summer. Ben is really hurt, I can't leave just yet. For some reason he didn't want Edward. Even though he survived, he's in really bad condition." Murph replied.

"What... tell me his condition." I ordered, although I wasn't sure I wanted to know. "Tell me!"

*"Well, the cut on his side's been reopened... and there's a cut across his shoulder. And a bad one on his chest too. His leg looks like a Sharpedo tried to bite it... oh, wait, never mind. That did happen. I'm kinda worried about the leg. I'm trying my best... but... he may have to lose it." Murph informed me. Lose his leg? Poor Ben... if he had to have his leg cut off, he may be unable to be a Ranger. He would hate that. "But what I'm more worried about is that it hurts him to breathe, much less talk. And then he's got an injury on his head. It scares me. He might have some brain damage. I don't know. It terrifies me to think this... but... I'm worried he might fall into a coma. He passed out just now. Oh, Summer, this is terrible!"+

"Can't you call Edward?" I asked. "He might be able to help."

"What might Edward be able to help?" I whipped around, nearly falling off the bed in the process. Kate giggled at me. I shot her a glare. Jen was standing in the doorway. She obviously hadn't heard much.

"Ben." I replied. "He could help heal Ben."

"Ha! Like EDWARD could bring him back to life. He wouldn't even if he could." Jen laughed coldly. She wasn't feeling herself, I could tell. Ever since Ben supposedly died, she'd been silent or spouting off rude remarks, as if she could care less about the rest of the world. "Ben is dead. Get over it."

"You haven't." I pointed out. "You just don't want to have false hopes. Ben's alive."

"Summer, really. Let it go. He's no more alive than you are the queen of Mars." The older girl growled. "I get it, you hope there could be a chance. Well, there's not. We saw the sub explode, Jake found his coat. There is no way."

"You don't know that Summer isn't the queen of Mars." Kate challenged. "For all you know, she's a Martian."

"It's true!" Murph defended. As many faults as Murph had, he always stuck up for his friends. "Not about Summer being Martian. About Ben. Although right now, slight problem. I did a reading, and it seems Ben may not have much time left. I can't be sure with only my travel equipment, but you need to get over here as soon as possible. I'm trying my best, girls. But life is cruel. Remember that."

"What?" Jen gasped. "It is true? He's alive!"

"He may not be for long, come on!" I exclaimed, dragging Jen out the door. Kate followed closely behind. "Erin, Jake, Ravio. Let's go!"

"What's going o– WAAAHH!" I grabbed Ravio's arm as well, and ran out the door. I decided not to risk transporting. Instead, I called Raikou.

'What's up?' He asked. 'Something the matter?'

"Raikou, I need your sister." I exclaimed. "Er, Suicune is your sister, right?"

'Yep. I can call her for you. Hey! Maybe–'

"No time for that, Raikou. Sister. Here. Now!" I ordered. The others were kinda staring at me strangely. Well, I did just have a conversation with a Pokèmon. "No time to explain, guys. Hope you don't mind a ride on Suicune."

"Suicune!" Ravio exclaimed. Mist shrouded the beach suddenly. "The legendary Pokèmon?"

'The one and only.' Suicune burst out of the fog. I swear she smiled at me. 'Hero, my brother says you have a request. Ask, and I shall help you. It is an honor, of course, to meet the young Hero of Oblivia.'

"Suicune, thank you for coming." I smiled. "Can you take us to Sophian Island? My partner is there, and he's... injured."

And dying.

'Of course I will help you. You are Arceus's Chosen.' Suicune replied, lowering herself so we could climb on. 'I am terribly sorry about your partner. Entei has mentioned him to me before.'

"Thank you so much, Suicune!" I exclaimed. "Guys, hop on. Suicune'll take us to Ben."

"Wait, I thought Ben was dead?" Leave it to my brother to say something like that. I wondered if he was really as smart as he looked. "Did you mean Murph or something?"

Nope. He wasn't.

"Just get on!" I groaned. "Alright, Suicune. Let's go."

'Hang on tight. I'll run as fast as possible.' The legendary Pokèmon took off, us in tow. I heard Erin behind me yelling and laughing, as if this were a ride at an amusement park. I glanced back, and saw Jen clinging to Jake, her eyes squeezed shut. Jake was grinning, blushing slightly at the girl clinginng to him. I giggled a little. They were pretty cute together. Course, Jake'd probably murder me if I said that aloud. Ravio was between Erin and Jake, and he had the same reaction as Erin. Kate was clinging, terrified, to Suicune's tail.

"SLOW THIS THING DOWN!" She screeched. "SUMMER!"

"SORRY, KATE!" I yelled back. "CAN'T!"

'Summer! Miss me?'

"Arceus!" I lost my grip on Suicune, and nearly toppled off. But suddenly, a pink aura surrounded me and lifted me back onto Suicune.

'Wow, that was fun! I love playing rescue!' A cute voice giggled. I looked around wildly, but failed to find the speaker. 'No, you can't SEE me. Not right now anyway. Oh! Hi Arceus!'

"I am guessing your a Pokèmon." I laughed. "Jake, what Pokèmon can turn invisible?"

"Why? I don't see anything." Jake replied. "What are you talking about?"

"I just said invisible." I deadpanned. "Of course you can't see anything! I knew I shouldn't have asked you. Ravio?"

"Lots of Psychic types can turn invisible. It isn't that rare a trait, actually. Sorry." Ravio waved his hand in fro t of me, probably trying to see if he could grab the Pokèmon. "Where is it?"

'Haha, missed me.' She exclaimed. 'This is fun. Well, I'll be going. Bye Arceus! Bye Summer!'

"Uh... I think she just left." I replied. "She said bye."

"How do you know it's a she?" Kate asked suspiciously. "How did you even know it was there?"

"My sister is a strange girl. You saw how she was taking to Suicune on the beach. As if she could actually understand it." Jake laughed. "Besides, she blasted open a door in the submarine."

"And I brought Ben back to life when he died that first time." I added. "Which was, I believe, your fault Jacob."

"Wait, what are you talking about. Ben never died." Kate exclaimed. "Summer..."

"Oh, he did. I just saved him. That would be when I discovered Arceus possessing my brain." I declared. "That annoying, self-centered, useless–"

"Arceus. You're talking about ARCEUS like that?" Ravio gasped. I had a list of other choice words I could use to describe him as well. But those weren't very nice. "You can't insult Arceus!"

"Oh, yes I can." I retorted. "Arceus finds it hard to believe too."

'Yes! You should be–'

"Honored that the king of Pokèmon chose to be my Pokèmon guide. Yes, so you've told me." I finished. Looking at my friends confused faces, I figured I should explain. "He thinks it's an honor to be possessed by him. Right."

"Uh... Summer?" I glanced back towards Kate. There was some sunlight shining through the mist now, so I could see her better. "Does your hair normally turn blue?"

"Blue? No. My hair is brown." I replied. I grabbed some of my hair and looked at it. Sure enough, my brown hair was turning a bright blue. I wasn't exactly sure why... "ARCEUS!"

'It's the water. You know, I turn into a water type sometimes. I guess it's affecting you too, turning your hair and eyes blue, and enhancing your water based attacks.' Arceus informed me. 'It's only temporary.'

"My eyes are blue too!" I asked. Kate nodded her head. "Ah, great. Another reason why I want Arceus out of my head!"

'I might want to warn you. As you know, I am normally white and gold. So–"

"Great. Just great. Kate, I'm gonna need some hair dye." I groaned. "Or it's white hair for me."

'We have arrived, Hero.' Suicune informed me. I hopped off, quickly followed by everyone else. 'I will be back in an hour, to check on you. Good luck, my friend. Tell your partner hello for me.'

"Okay! Bye, Suicune!" I waved, and she leaped off. "Okay, guys. Let's go find Ben."

"Oh! You're looking for the young Ranger boy!" The six of us turned to face the speaker. It was an older lady with pink hair. "My name's Kasa. Ben is staying at my place, follow me. He'll be glad to see you, if he's woken up again."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed. We followed Kasa to her house. It was a typical beach house, maybe a little bigger. She led us inside.

"Summer! You made it!" Murph exclaimed, bounding into the room. "Ben is still out. Go see him. ONE at a time. No need to overwhelm the poor guy if he wakes up."

"I'll go first." I volunteered. Murph led me to one of the bedrooms. *Ben was laying on the bed, eyes closed. The white sheets of the bed were stained red. He was paler than ever, which scared me. Murph removed the covers. His ripped up shirt had been removed, and there were bandages covering most of his upper body, stained with red fresh blood. His leg was badaged too, although they did little to staunch the blood flow. The bandages around his head were also stained red, and I could tell he'd sustained pretty bad injuries.+ "Oh, Ben..."

"I need to change his bandages. Would you like to help?" Murph offered. "I have to warn you, it's pretty gruesome."

"I'll help." I agreed hesitantly. Murph slowly began to unravel the bandages around Ben's leg. He handed them to me, and I quickly tossed them in the garbage. I glanced down at his leg. Murph was certainly right. Dark red blood coated his leg. Murph had two wet washclothes in his hands. He handed one to me.

"Gotta clean him up." We began tenderly washing the blood off or Ben's leg. *Soon I could see a variety of different cuts and gashes. Some were pretty deep. There were even places I could see bone.+ "I'm trying my best, but I just can't stop the bloodflow. If I use a tourniquet, I can't guarantee we won't have to cut off his leg. I wish we had communications up. He needs to be airlifted to the hospital."

"Does he know?" I asked. "That he might lose his leg?"

"I highly doubt it. He was getting pretty feverish. His temperature's gone way up. I'm worried one of his wounds is infected." Murph sighed. "Can you check his pulse for me. Neck or wrist, whichever works."

"Okay." I checked his neck. His pulse seemed normal enough. "Normal."

"Kay, good. Come help with his shoulder. " Murph replied. I nodded, and found that Murph had already unwrapped the bandages on Ben's shoulder. This cut wasn't near as bad as his leg. It was pretty deep though. We cleaned off this gash, and Murph put new bandages on. We moved on to the cuts on his chest and side. The one on his chest looked pretty painful. We cleaned those up too. Lastly, we did his head. I was worried when I noticed the severity of his head wound. "I know, it looks bad. Like I said, I'm worried about brain damage."

"He'll be okay, right?" I asked. Murph frowned unsurely, not looking up at me. "Right?"

"I don't know, Summer." He sighed. We finished renewing the bandages, and sat down by the bed. "I can't say he will. I don't want to give you false hopes."

"Yeah... okay." I mumbled. We sat there in silence. I gently grabbed my partner's hand. It was cold. I bit my lip, trying not to cry. "Please be okay."

As if on cue, Ben started to stir.

"S-summer?" He moaned. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at me. He grinned, and tryed to sit up. "Summer!"

He collapsed back onto the bed withe a pained groan. I grinned widely, excited that he was okay. Sorta.

"Ben! I am so glad you're alive!" I exclaimed. Without thinking, I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Once I pulled away, I blushed, realizing what I'd done. "Sorry."

"No." He said. I could tell that was all he could muster. But I could also tell that the kiss didn't bother him in the slightest. He smiled again. "Summer."

"I'm here." I replied. "And so are Jen and Erin and Kate and Jake and Ravio. We're all here for you."

"Ravio?" Right. Forgot that Ben didn't know Ravio. I was about to explain, but Ben sort of brushed it off. "Jen."

"You want me to get Jen?" I asked. He nodded. Sorta. He ended up groaning in pain again. "I'll go get her."

"Stay."

"Or... Murph will go get her. Okay." Murph wasn't paying any attention. I nudged him, and gestured towards the door. "Murph will get Jen."

He got it this time.

"Oh, Ben. I am so sorry. For everything. I let this happen to you." I mumbled. "I should've saved that Pichu I could've used a Pokèmon attack or something. I'm sorry..."

"No." Ben replied. "My fault."

"Does it hurt a lot?" I asked. "Does your leg hurt?"

"Hurts to talk." He said, wincing a little. "My leg doesn't hurt."

"That's the most you've said since you woke up." I laughed halfheartedly. "I wish I could heal you. But that may have been a onetime deal. Used up all my healing powers bringing you back from the dead that first time."

"Edward." Ben growled. "Edward leads the Pinchers."

"Don't be silly Ben." Why was he still going on about this? "Edward is a nice doctor. You know that."

"Ben's right. Edward is the leader of the Pinchers." I whipped around to see Kasa standing in the doorway. "And I suppose you must be the Ranger he's told me all about. And Ben... who would of guessed it? That same boy, from years back. You should've died years ago, boy. But you won't get out of it this time."

...

(Ben's POV)

If Kasa was with Edward... I was in danger. I couldn't fight back. I was a step away from dying already. Edward wouldn't help me. He'd kill me. I knew that. And Kasa would too, I guess. But I was more worried about Summer. I knew she'd protect me. That was the problem. I didn't need her sacrificing herself to save me again.

"What are you talking about!" Summer demanded. "Edward can't be evil! He's a doctor! And you... you helped us! And, what do you mean, Ben should have died years ago?"

"Oh, nobody told you?" Kasa asked. "There was an unfortunate accident years ago, when Ben here was twelve. His house was brokenly into. Only one person. With a gun. I think you know him."

"Edward..." She gasped. "Why? Why would he do something g like that?"

"Anyways, Ben was at home alone with Erin. She screamed for him, and he came running. Just what Ed wanted. One well aimed shot, and he was down. Of course, he was rushed to the hospital, where they conveniently placed Edward as his doctor. Unfortunately, the first injury wasn't all that bad. But one more shot to the head should have done it." Kasa frowned. "And after being in a coma for a month, he still survived. He didn't remember Jen, Erin, or the incident. They sent him to Ranger School after that. For safety. And it worked. Until now. How convenient that he was stationed here with you."

I remembered it all now. Everything that happened. I remembered every detail of my childhood, all the blank spots filled in. I remembered playing soccer with Erin every afternoon in the summertime. Eating Jen's home cooked spaghetti on cold winter nights. I remembered opening presents Christmas morning each year. As if remembering the accident sparked my memories of everything else. I missed those times. I was an orphan now. My mother died two years ago. I don't even remember my dad. I never told Summer though. She still thought I had a happy family back home.

"You poor child. Jen and Erin are all you have left. No mom, no dad." Kasa taunted. "I'm sure you're Mother will be happy to see you again."

"Your parents died!" Summer gasped. "Oh, Ben! How terrible!"

"No, darling. His mother died. His daddy abandoned him. How sad." Kasa smirked. "Daddy never wanted you, did he? Oh, poor thing. Your father hated you from the minute you were born!"

She was really getting on my nerves now. Taunting me about my father. Summer scowled at her. She obviously wasn't happy.

"You shouldn't tease him about it! It isn't his fault his dad's an insensitive jerk!" She defended. "How would you feel if YOUR dad abandoned you and YOUR mother died? Huh?"

"Shut up, little brat." Kasa growled. Oh, she did not just call my Summer a brat! "If you know what's good for you, you'd join us!"

"Never." Summer hissed. "I would never join the likes of you."

"Ah, we had a boy just like you join years ago. Too bad he couldn't protect his sister." Jake. She was talking about Jake. But what she didn't know was that Summer was Jake's sister. And he'd done a pretty good job protecting her. "What was her name? Susie? She died in a house fire. I helped out a lot on that one."

"YOU KILLED MY SISTER!" Summer pounced. She tackled Kasa to the ground, and wrestled her until she had her pinned to the ground. "You... you killed her! You monster! How can you live with yourself?"

"What's going on in here?" I managed to look up and see Jake in the doorway. "Summer? Hey! Don't hurt Kasa!"

"She did it. She killed Susie!" Summer yelled. "She's with Edward, who is apparently the leader of the Pinchers! She was gonna kill Ben! She was taunting him about his parents!"

"What! Kasa is with Edward? Oh, man. Jen! Get in here!" Jen appeared in the doorway at the sound of her name. "Get Ben out of here. Kasa's with Edward. She'll kill him! Get everyone else out too. Summer, how should we get Suicune?"

"She'd be back now. It's been an hour." Summer held out her hand towards Kasa, and she was immediately bound to the ground by what looked like a stringshot move. "C'mon, let's move."

"Right." Jen scooped me up into her arms. "You're so hurt. Why did this happen to you. Sometimes you're too brave for your own good. You're like family to me, you know. Erin likes to joke that I could be your mom. I don't think I'd make a very good mother."

"Oh, come on, Jen. You know that isn't true." Jake laughed. "Right, Ben?"

"Right." I managed to say. It was true. Jen always did try to protect me the best she could. She and Erin were pretty much the only family I had left. I was glad to have them. We made it outside, and sure enough there was a Suicune near the ocean. It let out a cry that seemed to be directed towards Summer.

"No, he's alive. Don't worry. But we need to get out of here!" Was Summer just talking to Suicune? That girl just kept getting stranger and stranger. "Ben's in danger."

"So are you now. Kasa is gonna tell Edward that you're my sister!" Jake growled. "And Kasa's going to tell him that Ben is injured. We need to go somewhere no one will find us."

"I got it!" Summer shouted. "I don't know if you remember, but Mom and Dad have a beach house in Oblivia!"

"That's right! On the western coast of Renbow Island. Suicune, can you take us there?" Jake requested. I think the Pokèmon nodded. "Great, everybody on!"

Summer got on first. Jen put me right behind her, and then got on behind me. Erin and Jake were next, then Kate and that one boy I didn't know. Ravio, or something.

"Hang on tight!" Summer yelled. I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, blushing as I did so. My arms were basically the only part of my body I could move without causing myself agonizing pain. Jen was behind me, hooding my shoulders and keeping me steady so I didn't fall. I wasn't a big fan of the ocean now.

It seemed like forever before we finally reached land. Suicune bounded off, and Summer and Jake led us to a large beach house nearby. Summer grabbed a key out of a nearby bush, and opened the door. Jen carried me inside, and set me on the couch.

"Ah, home sweet home." Jake grinned, settling into a chair nearby. "Kinda weird that the lights are on though. Mom always turned them off when she left."

"Jake? Jake, is that you?" An older lady with dirty blonde hair walked into the room. I immediately knew who it was. "Jake! Summer!"

Summer's mom.

...

(Summer's POV)

"Mom!" I gasped, running up to hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your father and I are on vacation." She explained. "I didn't know you two were in Oblivia."

"Yeah, me and Ben are on a mission here!" I exclaimed. "Very crazy. And Jake here was a Pokèmon Pincher up until the submarine incident, long story, don't ask."

"Oh! Ben! The boy your friends with, right? Oh, he's such a sweetie!" Mom cooed. "Is he here now?"

"Well, yes..." I sighed. "On the couch."

"Alright." Mom looked over to where Ben was laying on the couch. She looked startled when she saw the injuries. "Oh my! What happened?"

"To make a long story short, we were in a submarine that was set to blow up. We all got out in time, and Ben goes back to save something. And then it exploded. With Ben still inside." I exclaimed. "But don't wworry! He didn't die. That time."

"Well, thank Arceus you're okay!" Mom exclaimed. "You poor dear."

'At least your mother appreciates me.' Arceus declared, hearing his name. "Tell her she is very much welcome.'

"Oh, shut up Arceus. She wasn't talking to you. If I recall correctly, you did nothing to help." I muttered. I noticed Mom kinda looking at me weird. "Talking to the self-centered, annoying–"

"Stupid Pokèmon in your head." Jake finished. "What did he say this time?"

"That 'at least my mother appreciates him.' I appreciated Arceus more when he wasn't possessing my brain." I groaned. "I mean, seriously, the first thing he tells me is, oh, hey, your best friend's dead. But you can still help him!"

"I am very confused." Mom stated. "Summer Minami, what is going on!"

"Mom, it's no big deal–"

"Don't even try it, Jacob. Summer, you will tell me everything. From the beginning." Mom ordered. "Don't leave out any details."

"Alright. It all started while me and absent were flying over Oblivia. We ran into Jake and some Pinchers. I got separated from Ben after SOMEONE shot me out of the sky." I started.

"I was aiming for Ben!" Jake shouted in defense. "You just had to be selfless and get in the way!"

"Whatever. Anyway, next thing I know I'm waking up on Dolce island where I meet... hey, where is Pichu, anyway? Did I leave him at Booker's?" I asked. Jen shrugged. "I'll need to go get him. Okay, I meet Booker, and he takes me to his house. From there, we run into some more Pinchers, and then I get to see the Stone of Time. Well, Celebi was there, and she decided to kidnap me and–"

"So she did kidnap you!" Jake exclaimed. "Haha! I knew it!"

"ANYWAYS, there I met Ravio. After Celebi brought me back, I went to find Nema and Rand. You remember Rand. So Rand and I stopped Jen on the Wireless Tower, and as we were heading back, we ran into Jake. He decided to be a jerk, and claimed to have killed Ben. I was devastated. After that, I ran into Murph. We managed to capture Jen–"

"Actually, that was kinda the plan. I get captured so Jake had to trade Ben for me. And it worked." Jen laughed. "Yay for us!"

"Okay... um, let's see. Celebi kidnapped me again, and I met Kira and Tanvir. Then we traded Jen for Ben. But Jake here set a bunch of Voltirbs to explode. Thank you very much, brother." I frowned. "Ben got a pretty bad cut, so we called Dr. Edward. Well, turns out he's evil, and he killed– yes, killed– Ben."

"Jake! I cannot believe you would do that to hour sister!" Mom gasped. "Wait... but Ben is right there, obviously alive?"

"Yes. That would be when I discovered Arceus possessing my mind. Or, as he likes to say, being my Pokèmon Guide. He's kinda annoying actually. On the plus side, I can understand Pokèmon now." I laughed. "Pretty cool. I can also blow things up! Anyway, I brought Ben back to life, and things went pretty ssmoothly until the submarine. Jen and Jake both quit because– maybe I shouldn't tell you."

"What's wrong sweetie?" Mom asked. "Is this about Susie? We already know about the house fire. It was an accident. We should have told you both sooner, but..."

"Edward did it." I growled bitterly. "He started the fire."

"Summer, no one started the–"

"He told us himself." Erin cut in. "And now that he knows about Summer–"

"Erin! Mom doesn't need to know that! Summer, just finish the story." Jake ordered. "You were at the submarine."

"Right. So, we rescued a bunch of Pichu. But one of them got stuck, and Ben went back for it. The Pichu got out... but Ben was still inside. We– Arceus and I– assume that Mew saved him." I recalled the invisible Pokèmon that had saved me from falling off Suicune. She had said she lobed playing rescue. Mew! That was Mew! "She loves plating rescue."

"Carol! What's going on in here!" I saw my Dad appear in the doorway. He grinned when he spotted Jake and I. "Jake! Summer!"

"Dad!" I exclaimed, running up to hug him as well. "Great to see you!"

"You two, Ranger Summer. You're first mission, I assume?" He chuckled. "Oblivia's a nice place. Tell me,who was the first villain you faced. That's always interesting."

"First villain?" I looked at my brother. "Jake."

"Haha, good one!" Dad laughed. "No, really."

"Actually... Jake here shot me out of the sky." I shot a glance at my brother. "And told me my best friend was dead, and rigged a bridge I was crossing to explode, AND tried to blow me up again in the Daybreak Ruins AND–"

"We get it! I was an idiot, okay." Jake cut me off. "And for the last time, I was aiming for Ben!"

"Jacob! Why would you do that to your sister!" Dad gasped. "We raised you better than that!"

"Dad, I was trying to protect her. As long as Edward didn't know she was my sister, he'd leave her alone!" Jake exclaimed. "See, unfortunately Edward knew about Ben. Jen is basically his foster mother, I guess you could say, so Edward targeted him."

"Ah. I see. Well, the life of a Ranger is a dangerous one, son." Dad laughed. "Right, Summer?"

"Right. Except– Jake isn't a Ranger, remember?" I reminded him. "Only me, Rand, and Ben are the Rangers here."

"Ben! Oh, he's a great boy! So brave and noble. Bit stubborn though." Dad grinned. He looked at me slyly. "Great pick for a boyfriend, Summer. He'll take care of you well. By the way, tell himbof he ever wants to propose,he can. Wouldn't have my baby girl marrying anyone else!"

"D-dad!" I exclaimed, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. Okay. So I liked my partner. But did he have to tease me about it? "He is here, you know!"

"Oh! Well, where is he? Surely he would've said hi." Dad speculated. "Odd that he hasn't."

"Hurts him to talk." Jake replied. "Otherwise, I'm sure he would."

"Why does it hurt him to talk?" Dad asked. "Is he hurt?"

"Severely. Honestly, I'm surprised he's alive after what happened to him. He was in a submarine that exploded. He's doing okay right now." Murph explained. "Can you try to say hi?"

"Hi." I heard Ben say. Where we were standing, we couldn't see him. Suddenly, he started coughing violently. I rushed over to his side. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. Soon, the coughing fit subsided. Ben went silent, eyes closed. I watched him carefully for any movement. He was perfectly still.

"Ben! Not good, not good! Something's wrong!" Murph exclaimed. "He isn't breathing!"

**A/N: Oh no! Ben! Hopefully I won't kill him again. Anyway... I DID IT! I FINISHED THE CHAPTER! Sorry, guys. Been in DC and Busch Gardens and Williamsburg all week! So much fun! Five rollercoasters at Busch Gardens! XD Hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter! =D**


	18. Ben's Father?

(Summer's POV)

"What!" I gasped. "No, no this can't be happening! I can't lose him again!"

"Summer! Calm down. If you panic, that won't help Ben any!" Murph scolded. "Okay, your the girl with the king of Pokèmon in her head. Tell us what to do!"

"Your the doctor!" I exclaimed. "Shouldn't you do something?"

"Does anyone know CPR?" Dad asked. I froze. "Summer, I know you do. So... what are you waiting for?"

"Uh..." I noticed everyone else in the room staring at me expectantly. "Nobody else knows?"

"Just do it, dear. Nobody will laugh." Mom smiled encouragingly. "You do want to save his life, right?"

"Right." I sighed. I lowered my mouth to Ben's, aware of the eight pairs of anxious eyes focused on me. Slowly, I breathed air into his lungs. I then carried out the chest compressions. I repeated the sequence several times, before I was aware that Ben was breathing on his own. I stopped the CPR, and saw that his chest was rising and falling like normal. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You did it!" Ravio cheered. "Yay, Summer!"

"Did you enjoy it, huh Summer?" Kate teased. I glared at her. Dad put an arm around my shoulders, an proud smile on his face.

"My Summer just saved a life. I'm so proud of you, Ranger." Dad grinned. "Jake, stop smirking. It isn't funny. Summer just saved her partner's life."

"And what is this, the third time that's happened?" My older brother laughed. "First, when I try to shoot him out of the sky, she gets in the way. Then, she brings him back to life after Edward kills him. And now again, she saves him once more! It's crazy."

"What? Summer brought someone back from the dead!" Dad gasped. "Summer, that's amazing! How?"

"Yeah... um, ask Arceus. I'm still fairly confused myself." I laughed. "But Arceus should know!"

'Oh, no! Don't ask me!' Arceus denied quickly. 'Ask Celebi or Latias or Suicune. Heck, you can even ask Raikou! Just not me!'

"I'm surprised. The creator of Pokèmon doesn't know how to heal people!" I exclaimed in mock disbelief. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

'Be quiet! For your information, I do in fact know how to heal people.' Arceus retorted. Then, quieter, he added, 'I'm just not good at it...'

"Oh, I'm sorry your self-centeredness." I taunted. "I didn't mean to hurt your ego."

"Summer, who are you talking to?" Dad asked. "You realize talking to yourself isn't very useful."

"Oh, no. I'm not talking to myself. Trust me, sometimes, I'd much rather be." I responded. "I'm much less annoying."

"Annoying? Summer, dear, Arceus is a regal and majestic Pokèmon who most humans and Pokèmon look up to." Mom scolded. "As should you."

"Right." I scoffed. "And Dad ate sushi for lunch."

"As a matter of fact I did." Dad replied proudly. "Your mother forced me to."

"_You _ate sushi!" I gasped. "No way! You hate sushi! Mom, what did you do?"

"Back on subject, what are you talking about Arceus for?" Dad asked. "What does Arceus have to do with you talking to yourself?"

"Oh, Arceus just decided to possess her mind." Jake informed him. Kate and I started giggling at how silly it really sounded. Jake just grinned, and pointed to us, making the universal 'they're crazy' sign with her other hand. "Wonderful, isn't it? Now she can blow up the front door. With her mind!"

"I can blow you up too. Or teleport you to Pluto." I smiled evilly. "You know, that last one sounds pretty good right now."

"Wait, wait. What do you mean by Arceus possessing her mind?" Dad was still confused. Poor Dad.

"I'll say it slowly. Arceus is trying to take over my mind." I repeated slowly. "Understand?"

"What?That really doesn't make sense."

"Arceus, why don't you explain it." I grumbled. I looked at my father, expecting words to come out of my mouth. No. Arceus didn't take over my brain and say anything. Out loud, anyway.

'I am your Pokèmon guide, which I thought you already knew. This means I am kind of like a Pokèmon conscience and I-'

"I do know, dimwit!" I exclaimed. Ravio gawked at me for calling Arceus a dimwit. There were a lot of other things i could call him as well. "Yes, Ravio. I just called Arceus a dimwit. Get used to it."

'Dimwit? What does that mean?' Arceus asked. 'Never mind. I will explain it to your friends then.'

"I am Summer's Pokèmon guide, Arceus. I am somewhat like a conscience as I can tell her what to do. Except... she really doesn't listen. Anyways, Summer can use all sorts of Pokèmon moves, such as Teleport or Aura Sphere. Honestly, she hasn't quite mastered the last one." Arceus explained. Well, the words came out of my mouth. But I honestly wasn't saying them. "If you need further proof, I'm sure Summer can show you an attack."

"I do need further proof." Dad responded. "For all I know, Summer was just saying all that."

"Alright, Dad." I sighed. A teleport would be simple. So, I teleported from my spot beside Ben over next to my father. I tapped him on the shoulder, and looked at me, bewildered. "Hi, Dad!"

"Summer! So you're telling the truth!" Dad exclaimed. "Amazing! So you healed Ben!"

"Bzz... Summer! Come in! This is Rand! I have big trouble! Leanne and Nema..." I heard Rand coughing at the other end. "Someone kidnapped them!"

"What! Rand, what happened?" Dad gasped. "Who kidnapped them!"

"Chris? Well, it could be Red Eyes... but it could be Blue Eyes. The person could have been wearing red or blue... I couldn't tell. They knocked me out too soon." Rand replied. "I never thought either of them would kidnap someone!"

"We wouldn't." Jake declared. "We both quit."

"Could the person have been wearing purple, by any chance?" Jen suggested. "Because that might just be our lead. There's another leader. Purple Eyes. And unlike Jake- er, Red Eyes and I, he joined by choice."

"That could be it... um, Blue Eyes I'm assuming. Summer, can you go find them?" Rand requested. "I would, but my shoulder's hurt."

"Rand, I would, but Ben's really hurt, and I can't just leave him." I began crying. I know, kinda dumb. But I'd been through so much. Dad put a hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away. "What do I do! My best friend is dying, Leanne and Nema are kidnapped, and we're in hiding at my parents' beach house. Ben is dying. I'm so lost without him..."

"How... what happened to Ben? How... how is he dying?" Rand asked. "Oh, Summer. You can't lose him again."

'Summer, he's not gonna die. Um... I'm not sure why your healing powers are blocked. They shouldn't be. But, hey, maybe that quest thing could come into play here?' Arceus suggested. 'Um... maybe Celebi has hidden some magic potion that will restore your healing powers, and the quest will help you solve all your inner problems.'

"The only 'inner problem' I have is you." I grumbled. "Any other ideas? Ravio, perhaps you have a guess. My healing is apparently blocked."

"Um... well, you're the only person I know with magic healing powers so... Maybe Celebi has some magic hidden potion that-"

"That's exactly what Arceus said." I groaned. "Guess I gotta ask Celebi..."

'Ask me what?' Perfect timing. 'Is something wrong? I came to tell you, there's more trouble in the past.'

"What! Oh, great. Trouble in this time, trouble in Ravio's time. I would go save Leanne and Nema, but I can't heal Ben. I'd help out in the past, but again, same thing." I sighed. "What is it now?"

'Kira is missing! And Tanvir found a note that said, 'If you want the girl back, bring me Ravio and the future girl tomorrow at noon at the Light Temple.' And, um... why can't you heal him? Your powers should work. Hmm.' I pretty much ignored her last statement. Whoever kidnapped Kira wanted me and Ravio!

"Summer! W-what's happening in my time?" The young boy asked worriedly. "I-is everything okay?"

"Ravio... someone kidnapped Kira. And whoever it is wants a trade." I explained slowly. "An unfair one, I'd say."

"What does he want?" Ravio gasped. "Maybe we can get it!"

"Summer, dear? What are you chattering about?" Mom asked. "Isn't Kira that girl from the past?"

"The past? What about the past!" Dad exclaimed. "Never mind. Okay, how do we deal with two kidnappings? I got it! We may be on vacation, but your mother and I are still Rangers. We'll go rescue Leanne and Nema, and you and Jake can resue that other girl?"

"What about Ben? Not that I don't trust Jen and Erin and Kate to watch him, I just can't leave him! He's hurt!" I frowned worriedly, and glanced over at Ben, who was still unconscious. But thankfully still breathing.

"Summer, I can go alone if you'd like." Jake offered. "You can stay here with Ben."

"No, that won't work either. Whoever kidnapped Kira wanted two things in return." I looked over at Ravio. "Ravio... and me."

…...

(Ben's POV)

I didn't know what was going on. On minute, I'm laying on the coach at Summer's beach house. The next, I start coughing violently, and passed out. Now... it looked like I was in a city that was sinking into the ocean. And I was completely healed.

"Ah, good. You're awake." I turned to face the speaker. It was a man, wearing a hat and long coat. He smiled, and sat down next to me. "You're lucky Arceus is letting me do this. Thanks to Ho-oh's complaining, I'm not supposed to see you."

"Um... where am I?" I asked. "It isn't familiar."

"You're in the city of Alto Mare. My hometown, you could say." The man chuckled. "Tell me, Ben. What in the world was going through your head when you swam back into that submarine. I don't know whether to call you incredibly brave or incredibly stupid! You are definitely your father's son."

"You know my Dad!" I gasped. The man nodded. "Why did he leave us? Why would he do that? Did he even care?"

"Your father loved you Ben. He was forced to leave, he had no choice. But, I'll tell you this. He's been watching you and cheering you on every step of the way." He grinned, and pointed to a picture on the wall. It was a picture of my Ranger School Graduation. "You may not have realized it, but you Dad was there. Clapping for you with the rest of the crowd. He was so proud of you then."

"Dad... he was there!" My father... who I always thought never cared about me... was actually always there for me. I just never knew it. "Why did he have to leave?"

"Your father... isn't exactly a normal human." The man explained. "He shouldn't have fallen in love with your mother, but he did. Sometimes love just hits us like that. But, no surprise, it made Ho-oh unhappy. But she handled it. Until you were born. Then, she was really angry at your father. When you were three, she demanded that Arceus ban your father from ever seeing you again. And Arceus had no choice but to listen..."

"But... why does my mom and dad being together anger Ho-oh? Why does she care?" I asked. "Why did it matter?"

"Ben... I already told you. Your father isn't normal." He repeated. "And neither are you."

"But why isn't he normal!" I exclaimed. "Why aren't _I _normal?"

"Ben, it's really difficult to explain. I wasn't supposed to tell you until you were ready, and I-"

"I AM READY!" I shouted. "I want to know about my past. I've been completely in the dark for almost four years now! I mean, now I know about Jen and Erin at least. Why can't you tell me about my father? I want to meet him, and I want to know who he is. Who I am."

"Alright. Alright. You want to meet your father?" I nodded. The man sighed. "You already have. My name is Latios..."

"Latios!" I interrupted. "The legendary Pokèmon?"

"Yes. In human form right now, anyway." The man removed his hat and coat. His outfit was blue and grey, patterned like Latios. His hair stood out to me, though, because it was just like mine. "And I am your father."

**A/N: TWO CLIFFHANGERS IN ONE CHAPTER! MWAHAHAHAHA! ALL PART OF MY EVIL PLOT TO TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE! ….. As you can see, I have had a lot of sugar. XD Anyway, more of Benny's past is revealed. Yes, I just called him Benny. =D Latios is Ben's dad! I know, kinda weird. But, hey, Summer is possessed by Arceus, so this isn't much worse. I had to do the Leanne and Nema kidnapping thing early because Red Eyes aka Jake quit. So... yeah. Hope you enjoyed!**

**I do not own Pokèmon. **


	19. Two Kidnappings!

(Summer's POV)

"What? Why does he want us!" Ravio exclaimed. "I mean, okay, I get that people have been trying to kidnap _me _for the past few days. But you?"

"Whoever has been trying to kidnap you is sick of me coming to your rescue." I realized. "So they want me as well. So I _can't _come rescue you."

"Summer, I'm confused. Rescue him? Who has been trying to kidnap him?" Dad asked. "And for how long?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe since I met him." I was starting to wonder if my being there had something to do with the kidnapping. "We don't know who exactly, but, um, he presumably had something to do with Rav's dad."

"Rav? Since when is my name Rav?" Ravio asked. "I'm pretty sure my name is Ravio."

"It's a nickname, Ravio. A shortening of your real name. Like Ben's name is Benjamin, but we call him Ben." I explained. "Or Jake's name is Jacob. And Jen's name is Jennifer."

"So like if I called you 'Sum'." Ravio declared. "Would that be a nickname?"

"Not the best one, but yeah." I laughed. "Well, we should get going if we're gonna rescue Kira."

"Wait!" Jake grabbed my arm. "I'm not letting you go! This is dangerous, it could put you in danger. You need more people to go with you."

"Jake, I'm a Pokèmon Ranger, it's what I do." I glanced over at Ben. He was lying completely still, save for the rise and fall of his chest to signify that he was breathing. "I need people here to watch Ben."

'Summer, hurry up! We don't have all day.' Celebi chided. 'Only until noon.'

"I know Celebi." I looked towards Jake. "You coming, or what?"

"Right. I'll come." Jake sighed. "Murph, first, how's Ben?"

"Well, he's stable... but not waking up." Murph informed us. "This is gonna sound crazy, but right now I think he isn't even in his body. But he's still alive, so I think he's okay for now."

"You're right. It does sound crazy." I replied. "But when you have Arceus in your brain, and you've already brought your best friend back to life once? Try and faze me."

"True point. I'll keep an eye out. You go save your friend." Murph smiled. I nodded, and looked towards Jen and Erin. I noticed Erin looked ready to go somewhere.

"I'll come with you. Jake's right, you need back up. Ben will be fine with just Jen and Murph. Kate can go with your parents to rescue the others." She suggested. Kate nodded, and grabbed her jacket. "Mr. and Mrs... um, what's your last name?"

"Oh, no need for formalities, dear. Just call us by our names!" Mom exclaimed. "I'm Caroline, but I go by Carol. My husband goes by Chris."

"Aright... um, Carol and Chris, please be careful. Purple Eyes may be stupid for willingly joining the Pinchers, but he's no idiot. Wear disguises, let no one know of your Ranger status. Summer, Jake, and I will join you as soon as we can." Erin definitely had a plan. Go figure. I shouldn't complain, though. It's not like I had one, and hers _was_ really good. Erin held out several wristbands. Or, at least, that's what they looked like. "Everyone take one. These will let us communicate with each other, no matter where we are."

"Alright." I strapped the band onto the wrist opposite my Styler. "How does it work?"

"Just press and hold the red button right here." Erin pointed to the red button on her on wristband. "And then speak. It's like a walkie talkie. Let go when you're done."

"Neat." Jake grinned, putting his on. "I didn't how you were into tech stuff, Erin?"

"Yeah... I needed _something _to do in my spare time." Erin giggled. "Unlike _some _people, I didn't spend my time moping around base about who knows what and eating cheese puffs."

"I didn't... I..." Jake muttered some choice words, earning him a glare from Mom. "Anyways, we'd better get going."

"Right. Jen, Murph. Take good care of Ben." I requested. Murph nodded, but Jen had this faraway looked. She seemed... scared of something. "Jen?"

"Summer... I... what if he never wakes up?" Jen looked down in sadness. "What if... what if..."

"Jen... Ben will be fine. I promise." I assured her. "And if he isn't, well, let's just say Edward's gonna have himself a big problem to deal with."

…...

(Ben's POV)

"_You're_ my father!" I gasped. There was no way! I was human, and he just said... he just... "You're Latios."

"Yes. I am. And you think you're completely human, don't you?" I nodded slowly. The man, er, Latios... no, my dad, I guess, sighed. "I thought so. I figured she wouldn't tell you. If I'm Latios, you know what that makes you?"

"Not human, I guess..." I shrugged. My father chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I'm amazed you haven't figured it out. Ben, you're half Pokèmon. Half Latios, to be exact. And, more importantly, you're my _son_." He smiled. "I've been watching you. Every step of the way. You are a lucky boy, son."

"And how is that, exactly?" I asked. "I've died once, nearly died too many times to count, I-"

"Enough with the boring details." He laughed. "You've got great friends! You have a family who loves you! You've got Summer."

"By family, do you mean you? Jen and Erin?" I was an only child, as far as I knew, anyway.

"Well, yes. But you see, all legendary Pokèmon are related..." My eyes widened. Was he saying that I was related to _every _legendary in the world? "So, yeah. You have a much larger family than you think."

"You mean... wow..." I ran through the list of legendaries in my head. There were so many... Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres. Dialga, Palkia, Girantina, Arceus. "I'm even related to Arceus!"

"Yep." My dad grinned. "Even Arceus."

"Woah..." I didn't know what to say. "Okay, so now my relative is possessing Summer's brain. Oh, wonderful."

"Haha, Ben. Arceus isn't possessing her brain. He's her Pokèmon Guide. Every human has one." My dad grinned.

"Do I have one?" I asked cautiously. "A Pokèmon guide?"

"No, son. Pokèmorphs don't have any, since they technically _are _Pokèmon." He laughed again, and sat down next to me.

"Pokè... morphs?" Okay, that word was new. "What's a Pokèmorph?"

'You don't know what a Pokèmorph is!' I looked around wildly for the source of the girlish voice. It wasn't my dad... 'Of course I'm not your Dad, silly!'

"Mew! Stop messing with Ben." Dad chuckled. Suddenly, a light pink, cat like Pokèmon appeared in front of me, floating in midair.

"Mew!" I exclaimed. "What are you... how... what!"

'Hiya, Benny! I was coming to ask to play with Latios, even though he NEVER plays with me. But, hey! You're here, Benny, so I can play with you! Oh, oh, oh! Latios, Latios! Do you have candy!' Mew was crazy. 'Heard that cuz!'

"How am I your cousin!" I asked. "You should be like my aunt or something!"

"Nope! See, things work funny with the legendaries, Benny. Latias is your aunt. The rest of us get to decide. Like, if I _wanted _to be called your aunt, then I would! But I wanna be your cousin, Benny!" Mew grinned. I noted that this time, she wasn't using telepathy. And I could understand her! "Yep, course you can, Benny! OH! I just remembered! It was fun playing rescue with you earlier! You know, when that submarine exploded! It was super fun rescuing you, Benny! Maybe you can rescue me next time, Benny!"

"And... we're doomed." Dad sighed. Suddenly, everything seemed normal for me. Latios was my dad. Mew was my cousin. My life was all of a sudden _normal_.

"! BENNY! PLAY WITH ME!" Or... as normal as it was going to get. "PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE-"

"Mew!" Dad shouted. "Why don't you go bother Celebi?"

"Busy."

"Okay... um..." Dad thought for a moment. "Raikou?"

"Busy!"

"Suicune?" I suggested. "Or Entei?"

"Suicune's helping with some kidnapping in Oblivia, and Entei's asleep." Mew informed us. "Please, Benny! Please, please, please, play with me!"

"Okay." I sighed. Mew cheered, and flew around my head. "We can play the quiet game. Whoever talks first, loses. The winner gets a Pixie Stick."

"OKAY!" Mew exclaimed, before quickly shutting her mouth. I saw Dad breathe a sigh of relief. Several minutes passed. "Okay, I'm bored!"

"Wow... just, wow..." I laughed. Okay, family life for me just became a lot more crazy. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope! Although I bet Big Brother's looking for me!" She exclaimed. "I ran off cause he wouldn't play."

"MEW!" Cue the angered shout from presumably Mewtwo. "Are you bothering Latios again!"

"Yes!" Dad and I responded. A larger, purple version of Mew appeared in front of us. He glared at Mew, before turning to me in surprise.

"You got your kid back?" He asked. "Did Ho-oh quit complaining?"

"Yes, thankfully. She doesn't want poor Ben to be an orphan." Dad chuckled. "She always has had a soft spot for humans".

"Good to know she's come to her senses. Darkrai will be happy if he can see his daughter again. Without being discreet about it anyway." Mewtwo nodded towards me. "Good to see you, kid."

"Um... nice to meet you, Mewtwo." I replied politely. "If you don't mind me asking, who's Darkrai's daughter."

"Oh, you know her!" Mew exclaimed. "Little Katie!"

"KATE!" I gasped. "Kate is Darkrai's daughter!"

…...

(Summer's POV)

"Well, here we are." I exclaimed. "The Light Temple sure is... obvious..."

"Yeah, Dad's _horrible_ at decoration." Ravio laughed. "Really bad..."

"I'll say... the door's _pink_!" Jake exclaimed. "Pink! I mean, seriously! _Pink_!"

"Yeah... Summer, can you?" I nodded, and held my hands out towards the door. I heard an explosion, and opened my eyes. No more door. "Dad's gonna kill me..."

"Imagine if we did that to the front door back home?" Jake grinned evilly, probably getting an idiotic idea.

"No, Jake. Bad idea." I scolded. "Alright, troops, move out!"

"What is this, the army?" Jake scoffed. "You can't tell me-"

"I SAID MOVE OUT!" I shouted. My older brother immediately straightened up. He nodded slightly.

"Sir, yes, sir!" He saluted. He turned towards the door and started marching. He looked towards Ravio. "You heard her, soldier. Move out!"

"Ravio?" He looked at me. "Hold me back before I brutally murder him."

"Uh... okay?" We walked after my brother into the temple. Ravio pointed out things every now and then, but for the most part we walked in silence. Save for my brother's antics.

"Jake!" I shouted after a while. "Come here!"

"Yes, sir, General, sir!" Jake yelled. "What do you need me to do, General, sir!"

"Shout a little louder, I don't think Ben heard you back in the future." I hissed. "Stop acting up, or I'm calling Dad."

"Yes, ma'am..." He muttered. "I'll shut up."

**A/N: FINALLY! ANOTHER CHAPTER! Sorry if it's too short! So Kate's a Pokèmorph too. And Darkrai's daughter! Lots of twists. AND MEW! MEW'S HERE! YAY, MEW! Let's hope I don't give her candy...**

**Mew : CANDY!**

**Me: Um... Mew, get out. **

**Mew: Aw...**

**Me: There we go. I don't own Pokèmon. **

**Mew : I WANT CANDY!**

**Me: MEW! OUT!**


	20. Saving Kira

(Ben's POV)

"Kate is Darkrai's _daughter_?" I honestly couldn't believe it. Kat was a Pokèmorph, too! Which meant... "So she's my _cousin_!?"

"Yep!" Mew giggled. "Katie plays with me all the time! SHE'S SO MUCH FUN! Benny, does Katie play with you? Oh, does she, does she, does she!? Cause, then, we could all play together! And maybe Luny can play, too, this time! If he isn't busy... I hope he isn't busy!"

"...Luny?" I asked. Who was Luny? "Is he another Pokèmorph?"

"Yes." Mewtwo replied. "And another Ranger. Lots of morphs become Rangers, since they don't want to 'catch' Pokèmon like Trainers and Coordinators."

"Wait, wait. Are we talking about _Lunick_? As in, Solana's partner, Lunick?" MEw nodded eagerly. "Wow... so both Lunick and Kate are Pokemorphs..."

"Oh, there's others. Lots of them... though, not all are related to Legendaries. Luny's dad is Deoxys, and his Mom is half Minun! But he turns into Minun." She disappeared for a moment, and reappeared beside me. "But Luny's ALWAYS busy nowadays, so he doesn't get to play! Sometimes he does, though! And then it's more fun! Oh, and he gives me CANDY!"

"Is she always like this?" I asked, kind of worried about the hyper pink Pokèmon.

"Yes." Dad and Mewtwo groaned. Mew giggled, and grabbed my arm. She started pulling me out of the room. For such a small Pokèmon, she sure was strong.

"Lets go see Alto Mare! It's really pretty, cause it's on the water! Come on, come on, come on!" Note to self: Keep Mew away from sugar... FAR away. "Oh, oh, oh! And, we can go find Luny and Katie! AND WE CAN PLAY AND LUNY WILL GIVE ME CANDY!"

"Um... uh... I don't know if that's a great idea..." I muttered. "Kate is probably with Summer right now and-"

"Then you go as a _Latios_, duh!" Mew giggled. "Then Summer won't know it's you!"

"Great idea!" I exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. "One little problem... how?"

"Ben, it's actually very simple." Mewtwo declared. I looked at him. "Just focus on being a Latios."

"Um... okay..." So, I focused on being a Latios. And when I opened my eyes, I was definitely not human. I brought a hand up to look at it. It was a Latios paw... hand? I didn't know. But I was a Latios.

"Nice... your shiny." Dad grinned. "That's rare."

"C'mon, Benny!" Mew raced out the door. I sort of waved at Mewtwo and Dad, and flew after her. I was absolutely giddy. I was flying! "Race ya!"

"Oh, you're on!" I laughed. "No teleporting!"

"Aw... let's go!"

…...

"Shh... there she is." I whispered. Mew and I had found Kate chatting with Summer's parents on the way to some ruins. Why, I didn't know. We crept up behind her.

"HI, KATE!"

"AAHH!" She whipped around to face us. "MEW!"

"Hiya, Katie!" Mew giggled. Summer's parents turned around as well. "Ooh, are those Summer's parents?"

"A Mew and a Latios?" Summer's dad gasped. "What are they doing here?"

"Good question." Kate glared at us. "Mew, who's the shiny mini-Latios?"

"Mini-Latios!?" I exclaimed. "I'm not mini!"

"Um, Carol and Chris, how 'bout you go on ahead." Kate suggested sweetly. The adults nodded, walking ahead of us. "So?"

"This is Latios's kid! Say hi, Benny!" Mew grinned. "And this is Katie!"

"Benny... no way!" Kate's eyes widened in realization. "Ben!?"

"That's me." I confirmed. "And, seriosly, NOT mini-Latios. How would you like it if I called you, mini-Darkrai?"

"Calm down, Ben. How are you here? Last I checked, you were unconcious at Summer's." I shrugged. "You don't know? Wonderful..."

"I KNOW! See, Latios wanted to see him, so he sorta teleported Benny's soul to Alto Mare. But in Latios form, he's completely flesh and can come back! Cool, huh?" Mew suddenly spotted something in Kate's pocket. "CHOCOLATE!"

"Um... sorry, my chocolate..." Kate laughed nervously. Mew creeped forward. "Bad kitty, stay! Stay!"

"What is she, a pet? She isn't gonna listen to you." I scoffed. "She's Mew."

"And _I _can give her nightmares." Kate smirked evilly. "Dad taught me how to use Dark Void."

"Remind me not to get you mad..." I gulped. Mew backed away slowly, before hiding behind me.

"Okay, Katie's candy..." She pouted. "Luny will give me some, anyway."

"Oh, no he won't." Kate responded. "Not if I can help it."

"Kate, if you don't mind me asking... how long have you known?" I asked my friend- er, cousin, I guess. "About being a Pokèmorph?"

"Oh, that? Dad's always been around. Course, I was five the first time I fully morphed." She laughed. "How long have you known that you were a Morph?"

"Um... maybe thirty minutes... forty five at the most." I replied. She'd known her whole life? I wondered if it was the same with Lunick?

"Oh. No wonder I never saw you at family get togethers. I mean, there was Lunick, Kellyn-"

"Kellyn's a Pokèmorph, too!?" I exclaimed.

"Duh, he's my brother. Did you forget?" Oh, right. They were twins. Totally disregarded that. "Anyway, Lunick, Kellyn, and I were always there. Never did see you."

"You knew I was a Pokèmorph?" I gasped. "How?"

"Simple. I mean, I remembered you from when we were all three. But then, you stopped showing up. Nine years later, there's a new boy at Ranger School. And he looked just like Latios in human form. So, I put it all together. You Latios's kid! The one that went missing nine years ago!" Kate grinned.

"You should be a detective." I remarked. "You're good at figuring things out."

'Kate? Kate, come in!' I heard Summer's voice come from out of nowhere. I looked around wildly for my friend. 'Kate, you there?'

"Summer!" Kate exclaimed. "Did something go wrong?"

'I wish. Jake won't shut up! I need someone to talk to!' Summer replied. Where was she? 'Ravio's no help, he's talking to Tanvir.'

"What about Erin?" My cousin asked. Erin, Jake, Summer, and that kid Ravio were somewhere... and judging by Kate's tone of voice when she answered, it was dangerous. "Can't you talk to her?"

'Ah, I forgot her at home!' Scratch that. Erin wasn't there. 'I'd go back and get her, but that'd be a waste of time. Besides, there's nothing wrong with an extra person watching Ben.'

"Yeah, about that..." Kate glanced over at me. "He, uh... well..."

"What? Did... something happen?' She sounded worried. I made an X with my arms, telling Kate NOT to tell Summer about my being a Pokèmorph. 'Please tell me he's okay!'

"Oh, he's fine. It's just-"

"BENNY'S GONNA PLAY WITH ME!" Mew yelled. "BENNY AND KATIE AND LUNY AND I ARE GONNA PLAY!"

'... Mew?' How'd she guess? Something told me it had to do with Arceus. 'What is she talking about? Ben's unconscious back home.'

"So? He's still gonna play with me! Right, Benny?" Mew grinned at me. "C'mon, say hi to Summer!"

'Ben's with you!?' Summer gasped. 'Ben?'

"Nicely done, Mew." I groaned quietly. The pink Pokèmon just giggled.

"No, no. Mew's just... playing. You know how she is... haha, yeah..." Kate covered quickly. "You know her!"

'Right, sorry for jumping to conclusions so fast!' Summer laughed. 'Call me crazy, but I swear I heard Ben just now.'

"I think I'll take you up on that offer..." Kate replied, shooting me a glare. I sorta shrugged, as best I could as a Latios.

'Hey! Wait a minute! Why's Mew there? And you can understand her!?' You know what I said about Kate needing to be a detective earlier? Scratch that, Summer needs to be one instead. 'How... oh, I see. Kate, are you... a _Pokèmorph_?'

All three of us froze.

"W-what gave you that idea, Summer!?" Kate stammered nervously. "Why would _I _be a Morph- I mean, uh, whatever that thing is!?"

'Aha! So you are!' I could just see Summer grinning triumphantly at her realization. And the fact that she was right. 'That is so cool! What Pokèmon are you!?'

"Summer! You aren't supposed to know! It'll be a nightmare if Dad finds out you know! Literally!" She wasn't exaggerating. Her dad was Darkrai.

'Well, Arceus says it's okay if I know.' And the cute innocent look she gets when she's trying to get her way. 'So? Who's your Dad?'

"Not telling." Kate refused. "Go back to rescuing Kiri or whatever her name is."

'Fine. Oh! Keith contacted me on my Styler! He heard what happened, and wants to come meet up with you! I said he could. After all, I'm sure you've missed your boyfriend.' I snickered as Kate turned Tamato Berry red.

"K-keith's coming!?" She exclaimed. "Ah, um, bye Summer!"

'Hey, wait a-' Kate pressed something on her wristband, and I could no longer hear Summer.

"Mew, Ben, you have to leave! Keith can't know about any of this." Kate was panicking. Why, I didn't know. "He'll think I'm a freak..."

"Oh, I get it!" I grinned. "You like Keith. Well, don't let family get in the way of true love, Katie."

"Shut it, mini." My cousin growled. I simply smirked, and flew off, Mew close behind.

…...

(Summer's POV)

'Of course, _I _know who her family is. But that's not up to me to tell. After all, Kate should be able to tell her best friend.' Arceus hadn't stopped talking about the whole Kate Pokèmorph thing. 'And don't worry about her father finding out. It's not like you or Kate'll tell.'

"Alright, I get it. Just shut up already!" I growled. "Wish I could've left you at home."

'Nah, you'd miss me.'

"Hardly." I scoffed. "How is it you have enough free time to annoy me 24/7?"

'Honestly, I probably _should _be out making sure none of the other legendaries try and take over the world or something...' I groaned inwardly. 'Yeah... well, we're all still alive... I think they're all preoccupied with the fact that Latios's kid is back.'

"Latios is a father?" I asked. "Hmm, that's new."

'Sorry! Shouldn't of told you, anyways.' Yeah, like I know the person. 'Actually, you do. Ack! Forget I said that!'

"Okay..." I sighed. I noticed that Jake, Ravio, and Tanvir had gotten ahead of me, so I ran to catch up. "Hey, boys! Didn't bother waiting, huh?"

"Sorry, sis." Jake laughed. He then turned back to Ravio and Tanvir. "Alright, soldiers. Listen up! We are NOT to abandon our trusty General! We are-"

"SHUT UP!" I screeched. The boys from the past snickered. I shot them a glare and they both shut up. "Alright, Kira has to be somewhere nearby. We've searched the whole entire temple."

"You're right." All four of us looked around wildly. A man in golden armor stepped out of the shadows, followed by maybe fifteen men in normal armor. He pulled someone out of the shadows "She's closer than you think."

It was Kira.

"Ravio! Summer! Get away! It's a trap!" She warned. "Hurry!"

"Kira!" Ravio didn't bother listening to her. Go figure... He ran over to her, tackling the golden armor guy to the ground.

"How dare you!" He growled, grabbing Ravio by his collar. "You should know better than to attack me!"

"Lemme go!" Ravio shouted. "Kidnapper! Let me go!"

"Kidnapper... what a rude thing to call me." The man put his free hand on his heart. "I'm hurt, son. Truly hurt."

"I'd rather call you that then my father!" Ravio spat. This man... was Ravio's father? "You aren't my father... you're a monster!"

"We'll see about that, kid." Ravio's dad threw Ravio to the ground. I ran over to him, and helped him up.

"What kind of father are you!?" I screamed. "You should be arrested for child abuse!"

"Oh, is that how it is in your time? Well, my future friend, things work differently here." Four men in armor, whom I decided to call Steelheads, advanced towards us. Two of them grabbed me, and the other two grabbed Ravio. Jake ran forward angrily.

"Let my sister go!" He shouted, punching one of the Steelheads in the face. He staggered away from me, freeing one of my arms. I used it to sock the other guy as well. Surprisingly, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

'A Drain Punch. Nice one.' Arceus complimented. 'I've got it! Get everyone away from those evil dudes.'

"Okay!" I grabbed Ravio away from the two surprised Steelheads, who'd lost their grip. "Everyone, out!"

'Use Judgement.' Arceus ordered as my friends scrambled out of the room. 'Now.'

"I don't know how-"

'But you do.' He was right. Somehow, I knew exactly what to do. 'Do it, now!'

"As Arceus's chosen, the legendaries' trusted friend, I call upon JUDGEMENT!" A orb of energy formed in my hands, and I lifted it towards the sky. It shot upward, before separating into hundreds of smaller orbs that went flying at the Steelheads, and everything in the room. I noticed that the ceiling was about to collapse.

'Protect!' I heard a familiar voice shout. I was enveloped in a translucent blue forcefield, as the room collapsed. I caught a glimpse of a greenish Latios in the doorway, eyes glowing. A Mew appeared next to him. But for some reason, that Latios was familiar... I wonder...

Who was he?

**A/N: HAHA! ANOTHER CHAPTER! You all know who the Latios is, of course. And Keith's coming! And Summer knows her best friend's a Pokèmorph! She just... doesn't know that Kate's half Darkrai. **

**SUMMER USED JUDGEMENT! YAY!**

**Okay, I really need to eat less sugar in the morning...**

**I don't own Pokemon... sadly...**


	21. Pranking Keith

(Ben's POV)

"Protect!" I shouted. Summer was immediately covered by a blue translucent shield. I actually felt quite proud of myself. First Pokèmon move I use, and it's to save my best friend. The whole room was collapsing, so Mew and I stood outside. I caught sight of Jake standing with a girl and two other boys, trying to see what was going on. I waved them over.

'It's safe.' I told them telepathically. The four walked over cautiously. 'Don't worry. Summer will be fine.'

"You... saved my sister..." Jake stated, looking at me gratefully. "Thank you, Latios."

'Latios is my father.' I replied. 'Please... call me Natsuya.'

"Then thank you, Natsuya." Jake smiled. Natsuya... it basically meant summer. But Jake wouldn't know that.

"Smart move, Benny. Calling yourself Natsuya." Mew giggled. Not telepathically, so the others wouldn't understand.

"Yeah, I figured I probably shouldn't tell them it was me." I replied. The four humans- so weird calling people humans- looked at us in confusion.

'Just talking to Mew.' I explained nonchalantly. 'Ah, looks like the room's stopped falling in!'

"Summer!" The blonde boy called out. I let down the force field, and she came running over. "Summer, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ravio." She smiled. Then she looked at me. "Who... are you? You seem... familiar... to me."

"Ahaha, you don't know me." I laughed nervously. This only made Summer more confused. She took a step towards me.

"That voice..." She mumbled. She reached out her hand torwards me, as if she wanted to make contact. Without thinking, I pressed my own hand- er, paw- to hers. "I do know you..."

"No, I really think-" She looked up at me, and our eyes met. Her eyes widened, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Ben." She murmured, under her breath so the others didn't hear. She threw her arms around me in a hug. "Ben, it's you."

"H-how-"

"You think I wouldn't recognize you? I'd know that voice anywhere." She laughed. "So I did hear you with Kate!"

"DON'T tell anyone else about this!" I giggled.

"Why?" She asked. "You're cute as a Latios."

"Okay, Summer. Stop hugging the Latios." Jake requested. Summer let go of me, and turned to face her brother. "Sis, this is Natsuya. He's the Latios who saved you."

"... Natsuya?" Summer looked at me skeptically. I sorta shrugged. "Well, since we're done here, we really should go help out Mom, Dad, and Kate."

"Time for Benny to go back then!" Mew giggled. She dragged me out of sight of the others. "Transform back, okay?"

"Okay..." I focused on being human again. When I opened my eyes, I held out my hands. Human. "Now what?"

"Simple, I send you back!" Mew floated over, and touched a paw to my forehead. The world started to fade. "See ya in the future, Benny!"

…...

When I opened my eyes, I was back on the coach. And I couldn't feel my leg again. But the good news was, the rest of my body hurt a lot less.

"Ben!" I heard Erin exclaimed. I sat up, and turned to look at her. "You're awake! And sitting up!"

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better now thanks to D- er, a Pokèmon." Erin looked at me quizzically. "Never heard of an out-of-body experience?"

"Oh, um... well, no one I've known has ever had that happen. To them. Er, um, MURPH GET IN HERE!" Erin shouted. Murph came running in, looking kinda panicked.

"Hey, Ben's awake! Whew, and I thought something was wrong." Murph laughed. "Call Summer, tell her the good news!"

"Totally unnecessary." And cue Summer, at the perfect moment. "Hiya, Benny!"

"You sound like Mew." I chuckled.

"I know." She grinned.

"I take it the Mission was a success." Murph laughed. "Good job. Since Ben's feeling better, why don't the two of you go meet up with Summer's parents, Kate, and Keith."

"Alright, let's go!" Summer exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me out the door. "Mission: Save Leanne and Nema!"

…...

(Summer's POV)

I pretty much dragged Ben the whole way. When we caught up with Mom, Dad, Kate, and Keith, they had reached a dead end.

"Summer! You made it!" Kate grinned, rushing up to us. "And Ben! You're human! Er, I mean, of course you're human, I mean, why wouldn't you be? I meant to say you're okay. Haha..."

"Drop the act Kate, I know about Ben." I laughed. "He saved me back at the Light Temple."

'You know, you could've done that.' Arceus pointed out. 'Or you could've turned ground type, and the rocks wouldn't affect you.'

"Well, excuse me for not knowing how to do that." I retorted. Kate rolled her eyes. "Arceus again."

"Kinda figured." Kate chuckled. "Keith came. He still thinks Ben is dead."

"Payback time." Ben smirked. "Summer, remember when you tricked Murph into thinking I was a ghost?"

"Ah, that. That wasn't on purpose, you know." I honestly didn't mean for that to happen... "But, good idea!"

"Oh, yes. We all know how scared Keith is of ghosts. Go hide, Ben!" Kate ordered. Ben ran and ducked in a bush. "HEY! KEITH! Summer's here!"

"Oh! Summer, I am so sorry about Ben!" Keith exclaimed. "Wanna hug?"

"No, Keith, I'm fine. I'll be okay." I replied, acting as if I was miserable. I had to prevent myself from laughing.

"Summer." I heard Ben's voice from the behind me. I turned around but he wasn't there. Hmm, must be some Pokèmorph thing. Couldn't Latios turn invisible?

"I can almost hear his voice." I sighed wistfully. I think. I'm not the best actress. I heard Ben laugh at my acting. I resisted the urge to tell him to shut up.

'That's right. Don't tell him to shut up.' Arceus said smugly. 'He's supposed to be dead.'

"Oh, shut up, Arceus." I muttered angrily. "I'll wipe that smug grin right off your face."

'I don't have a mouth, therefore I am not grinning.'

"You know what I mean!" I growled. I noticed Keith looking at me funny, and Kate trying not to laugh at me. "Ah, um, hi."

"Um..." I heard Ben laughing more. Oh, he was loving this. "You know, I hear him too..."

"Yes, I'm sure you do, Keith." Ben's voice echoed through the air around us. I actually felt like there was a ghost. I couldn't see him, and there was a chill in the air now. My only explanation was that Mew was helping out. Keith looked around wildly for the source of the voice. Suddenly, Ben faded into view in front of Keith. "Nice to see you."

"Aah! Ben!" Keith shouted in surprise. "W-what... h-how are you here!?"

"Do you believe in _ghosts_, Keith?" Ben asked. I noticed that Ben was actually hovering a few inches above the ground. Of course. He was half Latios, after all.

"Your a... g-ghost!?" Keith gulped, backing away ever so slightly. Mom and Dad had come over now. They quickly caught on, and pretended not to see Ben.

"What ghost, Keith?" Dad asked him. He looked to me. "Oh, hello, Summer."

"B-ben's a g-ghost!" Keith exclaimed. He pointed at Ben. Mom looked where he was pointing. "S-see!"

"No, dear, nothing is there." Mom replied. "Keith, perhaps we should find somewhere for you to lay down."

"No, no... he's really here! Ben, say something!" Keith demanded.

"They can't hear me or see me." Ben said. "Only you can."

"Keith, are you okay?" I asked cautiously, as though I couldn't hear Ben. I stifled a laugh as Keith looked from Ben to me then back to Ben.

"O-okay!? Okay!? There's a g-ghost talking to me!" Keith looked wide-eyed at Kate. "You see him Kate, right!?"

"Sorry, Keith." She shook her head. She was a much better actress than I was. I was jealous. "I don't see anything. But I can take your word for it."

'You know, technically, Kate can see ghosts. Her dad is Darkrai, after all.' Arceus pointed out. 'And of course she's a better actress than you!'

"Say that again. I dare you." I growled threateningly. Keith looked at me weirdly.

'Um, what I meant was- she, is, uh... better at masking her emotions.' Arceus tried to make up for his insult. Failing miserably.

"Ugh, just shut up, stupid Pokèmon." I grumbled. "I don't need your nonsense right now."

"Um... Summer? Who are you talking to?" Keith asked.

"Arceus probably said something stupid." Ben muttered, rolling his eyes.

"As a matter a fact he did. He said that Kate is a better actress than I..." I noticed that I had said that out loud. "Am... Oh, come on!"

"Nicely done, Summer. Guess the pranks over." Ben sighed. "Arceus was right, you know."

"Oh, shut up." I retorted. "I don't need you nagging me too."

"Wait- this was all a prank? Ben never died?" Keith gasped. "You pranked Hastings!?"

"No, Keith, we pranked you. At the time Murph sent that letter, we all really did think that Ben was dead. Turns out, being stuck in an exploding submarine _won't _kill you." I laughed.

"Yeah, if your cousins with Mew." Kate added under her breath.

"Oh. Well, what's this about Arceus?" The red haired Ranger asked. "You keep mentioning him."

"Oh, him? Oh, it's nothing important." I shrugged. "He's just stuck in my head, that's all."

'For the last time, I am your Pokèmon Guide!' Arceus exclaimed.

"Really? You won't hound me about it anymore?" I grinned. "Yes!"

'Wow.'

"Okay- really confused hear..." Keith looked at my parents. "Did you know about this?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Wait, so... I'm not even gonna ask." Keith sighed. "Lets just go save Leila and Panema, or whatever their names are."

**A/N: SEE! I'm multitasking! And listening to epic music. ^_^ Keith's really confused right now... poor guy... You know, Leila and Panema are their Japanese names! Just thought I'd put that out there, though many of you might already know. :) Hope you enjoyed chapter 21! ...Wow, that's a lot of chapters... XD**


	22. Fun Times

(Summer's POV)

'You still haven't figured it out?' Arceus asked. I had been simply wondering who Kate's father could be. Thinking to myself. And of course Arceus had to but in... 'I mean, I practically told you! I did tell you!'

"Did it ever occur to you that I might have been too busy trying to tell you to shut up!" I retorted angrily. And unfortunately, out loud. Keith looked at me weird again. I ignored him. "Stupid, self-centered, ignorant-"

"You really need to respect him more..." Ben laughed. "Arceus isn't exactly weak..."

"Thank you, Ben. I realize that!" I growled. "He won't tell me who Kate's dad is!"

"Even I have never met Kate's dad." Keith stated. "And Kate's my partner!"

"Oh, you've met my father." Kate muttered, grimacing as if remembering something that happened. "Not one of his good days..."

"Kate! Just tell me!" I exclaimed. "I want to know!"

"No."

'Think. If Kate is related to me, and her father was a dark type, that would make her father...' Let's see legendary Dark Type...

"Darkrai!" I shouted in realization. Both Pokemorphs froze. Keith just sorta looked at me funny. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Are you saying Darkrai is her father? Right." Keith scoffed. "Kate's a human. Hello? Man, Ben, I didn't know your girlfriend was this crazy."

"She's not crazy!" Ben defended. Completely ignoring the girlfriend comment. Well, this was Keith...

'You are kind of crazy.' Arceus pointed out. 'You called me, the King of Pokèmon, an idiot. You-'

"Shut up Arceus." I swear that's like my catchphrase now. "And, no Keith. I'm not saying that. Just, er... talking to Arceus about something."

'You're a horrible liar.'

"Thank you, Arceus. I knew that." I growled. We came to another dead end. I realized that, unlike last time, I couldn't just teleport us across the river. I quickly called Raikou.

'What's up, Hero?' He asked. He glanced towards the river. 'I hope you aren't aaking me to jump that river. No way.'

"No, Raikou. I need your sister again." I sighed. "Okay?"

'On it! Oh, hey Kate. And would you look at that! It's Latios's kid!' Raikou grinned. I think. "Long time no see.'

"Raikou. Sister. Now." I ordered. Raikou bounded off, and moments later, the area filled with mist. Suicune soon became visible.

'You really need my emblem.' She laughed. 'Never mind for now. Where to, Hero?'

"Um... good question... Mom, where're we going?" I asked. "Suicune needs to know."

"The Oblivia Ruins, dear." Mom answered.

'Alright, hop on.' Suicune ordered. I nodded, and climbed on Suicune's back. Ben and Kate hopped on behind me. Unfortunately, Mom, Dad, and Keith couldn't understand Suicune.

"Come on, get on! Do you want to save Leanne and Nema, or what?" I asked. Keith hopped on behind Kate. "Mom? Dad? You coming?"

"Summer! Let your parents finish their vacation!" Kate scolded. I smiled sheepishly, and nodded.

"Right, sorry!" I replied. "Mom, Dad. You can go back to your vacation now."

"Are you sure you've got this, dear?" Mom asked.

"It could be dangerous." Dad warned. "I don't want my little girl getting hurt!"

"Don't worry, Mr... uh, Summer's dad. We're all well-trained Top Rangers!" Keith exclaimed. "Summer will be fine!"

"Not to mention, Dad, I have the powers of all the legendary Pokèmon." I reminded him. "No worries."

'Hero? Are we going?' Suicune asked. I glanced back at my parents, before nodding to Suicune, not even giving them a chance to argue. Suicune took off down the river.

…...

(Ben's POV)

"So... do we have a plan?" I asked. "Or are we just charging into danger?"

"Um... well..." Summer laughed nervously. I groaned. "The latter."

"Go figure." I muttered. "No plan... I'm gonna die again."

"No you aren't!" Summer exclaimed. "This time... I'll make sure of that..."

"Summer, don't do anything crazy." I smiled. "I was joking."

"Wait, what do you mean, die _again_?"

I had forgotten about Keith.

"Um, well, you see..." I stumbled over the words before finally thinking up what to say. "I... well, I sorta kinda maybe _died _a little while ago..."

"Sorta kinda maybe?" Summer asked. "No, if I recall correctly, you were pretty much dead. Trust me, I checked."

"I... you... wha?" Keith stammered. "You- you were really _dead_!?"

"Pretty much. But, hey! No worries, cause I am alive and perfectly normal." Kate gave me a 'yeah, right' look. "Don't give me that look, Katherine!"

"Oh, you did _not _just call me Katherine." She growled. "Benjamin."

"Shut it, _Katherine Hitomi_." I smirked. Don't know HOW I knew her middle name. Must be a Pokèmorph thing. She glared at me before responding.

"Make me, _Benjamin Natsuya_." She retorted. I frowned at her. Summer just sat in front of me laughing. "What's so funny!?"

"You two." She giggled. "I still can't believe my two best friends are related!"

"Kate and Ben are related?" Keith asked, confused. I glanced back at him and Kate. "Guess weird hair runs in the family."

"Shut up, Spiky." Kate growled. "You're hair is pretty weird too, you know."

"Whatever, Katie."

"I told you! Only my cousins call me Katie!" Kate exclaimed. "You should listen."

"That's right Keith. Listen to Katie." I smirked, knowing she couldn't argue me calling her that. I was her cousin after all.

"Shut up, _Benny._" Kate replied.

"No fair!" I pouted. "I won't call you Katie if you don't call me that!"

"Deal!"

"You two ARE cousins." Summer chuckled. "And to think, maybe an hour ago you were almost dead."

"Yes, well. Fast healing runs in the family." I shrugged. "Now that I think about it... that does explain a lot..."

"Like how you and Kate have superhuman healing abilities? Or how you survived that submarine?" Summer asked.

"Yeah... except I think Mew helped with that last one." I replied. "That, or she was just being crazy again..."

"Well, Arceus thinks it was her, so... yeah, that really doesn't matter to me." Summer said. She was a strange, strange girl. "I get it! Shut up already!"

"I'm still confused here." Keith exclaimed. "Very, VERY confused..."

"Yes, well... unlike you, we have exciting, interesting lives." Kate replied nonchalantly. "It's not my fault your life is so plain and boring."

"My life isn't boring!" Keith defended. "For your information, my life is exciting, and interesting, and most of all, NOT BORING!"

"Temper, temper. I was just teasing." Kate laughed. "You know, like you do all the time?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Keith grumbled. "Why me? Why must _I _have crazy friends?"

"We aren't crazy!" Kate exclaimed. "Well, _I'm _not. Summer and Ben? Hmm, maybe."

"We aren't crazy!" Me and Summer shouted angrily. Kate and Keith both grinned slyly at us.

"You said that at the same time!" Keith snickered.

"And you and Kate have never done the same thing?"

"NO!" Both of the Almian Rangers exclaimed. They blushed and looked at each other. "Hey! STOP THAT!"

"Listen, you have NO right to tease us, Mini!" Kate exclaimed. I glared at her. "Don't you glare at me!"

"Well, don't call me Mini." I retorted.

"Guys!" Summer exclaimed, catching our attention. She looked ahead, and pointed at a large waterfall. "We're here."

**A/N: I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING UNTIL NOW! School's started, and I've been busy! I also had a tiny bit of writer's block. BUT I HAVE UPDATED NOW! I will be working on the next chapter whenever I get the chance! I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY!**


	23. The Ruins

(Summer's POV)

The entrance of the ruins was ominous, to say the least. I had expected to be hardly able to see in the cave behind the waterfall. But, instead, the cave was illuminated by strange crystals on the walls.

'Kiken Crystals. A bad omen.' Arceus informed me. "Kiken means danger. These crystals are almost always found in or near dangerous places.'

"Kiken Crystals..." I mumbled. Kate immediately jerked her head towards me. I gazed at one of the shining blue crystals. It was kind of... mesmerizing... As if in a trance, I reached out to touch it.

"NO!" She exclaimed. She yanked my arm back. "Don't touch the crystals! My father told me that those who touch the Kiken Crystals will be cursed!"

"Oh, wonderful, cursed rocks." Keith muttered. "What else is there?"

"My father's told me all sorts of horror stories about the Kiken Crystals." Kate continued. "The Crystals have a special quality. If you stare at them too long, you will fall into a trance. One time, a young girl touched the crystals. She was cursed with a terrible sickness, and the only cure was almost impossible to get. And even if it was found, only one person could give it to her. If the wrong person gave it to her, she'd die instantly. But by the time they had found the right person, and the cure, it was too late."

"OH! _Those _crystals." Keith exclaimed in realization. "Weren't those at the Ice Castle?"

"Yes, Keith. They were." Kate nodded. I tore my eyes away from the mesmerizing crystals, and got out a map.

"Where did you get that map from?" Ben asked. I shrugged. "Let me guess, your superhuman Pokèmon powers?"

"Probably." I responded. "And I wouldn't be talking about superhuman, Benny."

"Shut up, Summer." He muttered, crossing his arms. "Don't forget Kate!"

"I am perfectly normal, thank you very much!" Kate retorted. "At least, I'm normal for someone in my family."

'Oh, yes. You should see her at gatherings. She and her brother always caused disaster. _Especially _when her father is in a bad mood. Nightmares for the lot of us.' Arceus informed me. 'Except for me, of course. Oh! Forgot to tell you, you and Ben are expected to show up to the next gathering.'

"Oh goodie." I muttered sarcastically. "What an honor."

"Did Arceus invite you to a Gathering?" Kate snickered. I nodded. "Ha! Have fun!"

"Am I invited?" Ben asked eagerly.

"Duh." Kate answered for me. "They're pretty fun. As long as nobody's fighting. A few years back Dialga and Palkia were fighting, so it wasn't quite as fun."

"I'm very confused." Keith declared. "EXTREMELY confused."

"Good for you!" I grinned sarcastically, giving him a thumbs up.

"You know what, I'm not even going to pay attention to your conversations anymore." Keith raised his hands in defeat. "Whatever happened while you guys were here alone has made you all insane."

'Your ranger friend is the insane one,' Arceus muttered. I snickered at his response.

"You got that right." I responded."Keith can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

"Hey!" Keith glared at me. "Don't tell yourself that!"

"Whatever," I leaned up against the wall, in between two crystals. I folded my arms, clenching the map with one hand.

"Are we close, do you think?" Ben asked. I glanced at the crinkled map. "Well?"

"According to the map, we should reach Leanne and Nema in about..." I paused, thinking for a second. "How 'bout never? Since somebody gave me a map in a different language."

"Give me that!" Kate growled, grabbing the map. She flipper it over. "I knew we shouldn't have let you keep the map. Leave it to you to mess things up."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" I cried. "It's Arceus's map!"  
'Hey! Don't blame me!' Arceus cried. 'Humans these days. Always looking for a scapegoat.'

"Alright, we're actually pretty close," Kate mumbled. She looked around. "We should be reaching the closest cavern right about..."

Kate pushed a few rocks out of the way (Which she shouldn't have been able to push, mind you.) and revealed an old cavern. It looked like ruins.

"Woah..." Keith breathed. "Amazing."

"Halt! Who goes there!?" I narrowed my eyes as a Steelhead stepped out of the shadows. "I am a Steelhead, knight of-"

"What the heck are you doing here!? I defeated you a _long_ time ago!" I exclaimed. "What is it with people _not staying dead! _No offense, Ben."

"Uh... none taken?" He replied. I shot him a grateful smile before stalking up to the Steelhead and whacking him on the head.

"Man, Summer. You are _strong_! Remind me not get on your bad side." He laughed and walked over to me. "But we're friends, right?"

"Wrong." I rolled my eyes and started walking. "You slowpokes coming or what? I'd like to get done with this _today_!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Keith grinned. He raced ahead. While he wasn't looking, I put up a forcefield in front of him, which he walked right into. "Ow! My nose!"

"Oops." I smiled innocently. "My bad."

"I hate you, you know that?" Keith glared. "Let's just get this over with. Maybe when we get back to Almia you'll become normal again."

"I highly doubt that. You're stuck with this craziness for the rest of your life." Kate grinned proudly, pointing to herself. "I promise I will haunt you for the rest of your life, dead or alive."

"That's great." Keith grumbled. "Thanks so much."

"You're welcome!" Kate jogged ahead, giving Keith a cheeky grin. I shook my head at her craziness.

'You are just as crazy.' Arceus declared. 'I hope you know that.'

"Why did you want to be _my_ 'Pokèmon Guide' anyway?" I asked, kind of annoyed. This Pokèmon was seriously getting on my nerves. "Why didn't you pick someone else?"

'You were the only one I deemed worthy.' Arceus replied. 'Well, besides that Ash boy, but he already has a Guide.'

"I don't see what makes me so worthy." I grumbled. "I'm just a immature Pokèmon Ranger who can't even keep her best friend safe."

'Or remember her Partner.'

"Or that." I sighed. "Yeah... having Pichu would be nice right now. Why wasn't _Pichu_ my Pokèmon Guide?"

'Maybe because you keep forgetting about him?' Arceus suggested. 'And never bothering to transport him here.'

"That's the author!"

**Hey! No breaking the fourth wall! I forbid it! Or else Ben is dying and not coming back to life! Haha! Because I can do that!**

"Okay, okay, sheesh,. Forget I said that."

**Good. Now back to the story before I lose inspiration again.**

"Maybe I just don't want to put him in danger." I said. "Maybe I'm trying to protect him, since obviously he's the only thing I'll ever be able to protect."

"Summer?" I turned around. Ben smiled at me slightly. "None of this is your fault, y'know?"

"But it is my fault!" I cryed. I glanced ahead, seeing Kate and Keith arguing a few feet away from us. I lowered my voice. "Everything has been my fault. If I hadn't gotten in the way, you wouldn't have been captured. If I had tried harder to protect you after rescuing you, you wouldn't of been hurt. If I had stayed with you when Edward was treating you, he wouldn't of... of _killed_ you! If I had gone back into the submarine instead of you, or used one of my powers, you wouldn't have been trapped inside. Everything bad thing that's happened to you has been _my _fault. Everything!"

"Okay, you can think that." Ben frowned. He put a hand on my shoulder. "But think of it this way. If you _hadn't _interfered, I would've fallen into the ocean and probably drowned! If I hadn't of protected you and gotten hurt, then you would've been injured and I would've never forgiven myself. Edward wouldn't have let you stay, either way. You've learned your lesson about Edward. And, knowing you, if you had gone back into the submarine, you would've completely forgotten all about your powers and probably would've gotten yourself killed. I couldn't live without you! I did what I had to do. Nearly everytime I've gotten hurt, I was trying to protect _you!_ It doesn't matter to me if you can protect me or not. It wouldn't matter if you were as clumsy as Murph and always landed me in traps. I don't want you getting hurt trying to save _me_. I would protect you with my life if I had to. And I always will. Remember that."

I stared at my partner in disbelief, before finding that the tears that had begun to build up in my eyes and blur my vision had begun to streak down my face. I collapsed into my friend's arms. He wrapped his arms comfortingly around me.

"I don't want to lose you. You can't leave me. I know it would be all my fault if you did. I can't bear to think about it. But the thought... it's always there... in the back of my mind... taunting me." I realized how weak I must have sounded. Arceus had surprisingly stayed silent throughout this entire ordeal. "Promise you won't ever leave me?"

"I promise."

I realized how easily I could lose him. He could slip from my fingers as easily as my sanity (Which was pretty much gone the moment I stepped foot in Oblivia.) I could disappear like a cloud, turn into a bittersweet memory forever implanted in the back of my mind. Suddenly, I was scared to let go of him. The moment he was out of my arms, I could lose him. Forever.

"Summer?" I blinked back the tears still fogging my eyes, and glanced up at Ben.. "You don't have to cry. Things will turn out okay. We'll make it through this."

"I believe you." I replied, staring into his calming brown eyes. I let out a dry laugh. "I'm scared. I was never scared until you died. I didn't realize I was until now. I do my best. But sometimes, my bst just isn't good enough. Maybe I'm not fit to be a Ranger."

"Summer!" Ben cried. "You are the best Ranger I know! Don't even think like that! If it weren't for you, I'd still be dead right now. I wouldn't be standing here, talking to you. Don't you dare say you aren't a good Ranger!"

'He's right, you know.' Arceus spoke up, although his usually cheerful voice was toned down. He was being serious, for once, and comforting. 'You're a great Ranger, and a wonderful person in general. Do you wanna know why I chose to be your Guide? Because you have qualities no other human has. I can't describe them. They're just... there.'

"Don't ever give up on your dream, Summer." Ben didn't give any indication that he had heard Arceus. "Promise me that. No matter what, don't give up."

"I won't." I replied. "I promise."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

It took a few minutes for Summer to regain composure. I felt bad for her. She blamed everything that happened on herself. None of it was her fault. Absolutely none of it. It was sad to think she thought so poorly of herself. I tried my best to comfort her, but that was something I was never good at. Kate and Keith had noticed halfway throughout the ordeal that we weren't following, so they had come back, and stopped to wait just ahead.

Summer was such a sweet girl. She cared so much for others. Sometimes I thought she was too selfless for her own good. I was worried that one day, her selflessness would get her killed. I had never expected to die before her. Or to come back to life afterwards.

When I found about my heritage, I had been surprised to say the least. My father had been nice enough to heal most of my injuries. I could feel my leg again, and walk fairly well with it. Most of my cuts had healed, and my larger injuries were scabbed over. I'd have to thank him for that. For all I knew, I could heal injuries too. If only I could heal injuries to mind. Summer seemed so broken... I couldn't bear to see her like that. It hurt me as much as it hurt her.

We caught up with Kate and Keith, and Summer went ahead to talk to Kate. Probably to cheer herself. I hung back with Keith.

"I've never seen Summer that upset." He commented. "What did you say, dude?"

"I didn't say anything!" I exclaimed. "She thinks that everything that's happened has been her fault! How could she think that!? I mean, doesn't she realize that I am constantly trying to protect _her_!"

"I had the same problem with Kate." Keith replied. "She tended to blame herself when things went wrong. Which happened a lot. And most of the time it was actually my fault. But I got her to realize that she wasn't to blame. She thought she was bad luck. She was the best luck I've ever had. I don't know why I didn't tell her that."

"Wait a minute... you like Kate!?"_  
_"_Shhh!_" Keith hissed. "Yes, I like Kate. But don't you dare tell her! I don't care if she's your cousin."

"Dude, no worries. I won't tell." I grinned. "But now I have blackmail."

"W-what!?" Keith stuttered. "Ben! You can't do that!"

"Why not?" I asked. "You can't stop me."

"Grrr... I am totally going to kill you!" He cried. He lunged towards me, a mischievous grin on his face. I took off sorta running, Keith close behind.

"Sorry, girls!" I called as I pushed past them. Keith was right on my tail.

"I'M GONNA GET YOU, BEN!" He yelled. I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him. "You little- I'm gonna kill you!"

"Guess I'll meet you in the afterlife then, since Summer's not gonna stand for you killing me." I teased. Keith frowned and ran faster. I laughed and ran as fast as I could... right into a red wall. "Ow..."

We both stared at the wall. I glanced at Keith.

"It's a.. door?"

"Whoa." Summer and Kate had caught up to us now. Summer put her hands on her hips. "Shall I explode it?"

"Wait, wait. I hear something." Kate exclaimed. I listened closer. Sure enough, there were voices inside. A halfway familiar scream came from inside. I couldn't quite tell who it was, but Summer's eyes widened.

"NEMA!"

**A/N: I AM ALIVE! AN UPDATE! TAKE THAT, UNKNOWN FORCE TRYING TO PREVENT ME FROM FINISHING THE STORY! If anyone actually read this chapter and waited for me, thank you so much. I feel so guilty for not updating. I read some of your reviews, and felt so ashamed of myself. (I do have to thank RangerTakara for sticking up for me. Math homework has been killing me.) I am still determined to finish this story. It still surprises me that this is chapter 23. I reread the story yesterday and found so many typos... I mean, I put PHYSIC instead of PSYCHIC. How did I do that? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please don't hate me for being a slow updater. I will try harder from now on.**

**Mew: YES SHE WILL!**

**Me: Mew, out. Anyways, as usual, I still don't own Pokèmon. If I did there would have been another Guardian Signs game. :) Until next time (Hopefully a lot sooner!)! **


	24. Saving Leanne and Nema

(Summer's POV)

"NEMA!" I cried. She and Leanne were in there! "Ben, that's Nema!"

"Yes, I realized that when you screamed her name." Ben deadpanned. "Now, we gotta get them out. Any plans."

"I can-"

"NO, Summer. You aren't exploding the door. That'd make too much commotion." Ben declined. "Any _other _ideas?"

"She could teleport us in." Kate suggested. I liked the idea.

'You would just teleport us all into danger or something.' Leave it to Arceus to shoot down my second favorite idea, while making a fairly logical and true point.

"No. I have a better idea. You two," I pointed to Kate and Ben. "Morph. Keith will bust down the door and demand a gym battle. I'll get Leanne and Nema while they're distracted."

"That's actually… a really good plan." Ben admitted. He glanced at Keith, who was sitting in a corner and messing around on- was that his phone? "How are we gonna morph without Keith noticing?"

"Simple, we say Summer did it." Kate grinned. "Keith won't suspect a thing!"

"Morph now, before he notices!" I exclaimed. They both nodded. Before long, Kate was engulfed in a shimmering blackish purple shadow and Ben was golden blue light. Next thing I know, I standing in front of a shiny Darkrai, and a shiny Latios. "Hey, Keith, get off your phone and get over here. We've got a plan."

"A plan! Cool!" He jogged over to us, shoving his phone into his pocket. "What's the plan?"

'Does he not notice the two legendary Pokémon behind him?' Kate grumbled. 'Sometimes I wonder if he's really that smart?'

'He's not.' Ben deadpanned. 'And shut up, he'll here you!'

'He can't understand us, idiot!' Kate rolled her eyes. 'Didn't your dad teach you anything about being a Morph?'

'Besides how to change into a Latios? Nope.' Ben replied.

"You still haven't explained the plan, Sum." Keith said. He looked around. "Hey, where are Katie and Ben?"

'HOW DARE HE! HE CALLED ME KATIE AGAIN!' Kate screeched. I caught sight of her readying a Dark Void, aimed at Keith. I gave her a glare.

"Right behind you." I told Keith. He spun around to face them and literally fell backwards into the ground. "And Kate's mad, so I'd watch out."

"T-that's Kate and Ben!?" He glanced at me, then back to the Pokèmorphs. "What did you do!?"

"Listen, it's part of the plan. You are gonna go in there and challenge Purple Eyes to a gym battle." I explained. "And I'll get Leanne and Nema."

"I'm gonna challenge _who_ to a _what_?" Keith looked at me in disbelief. He turned to Ben and Kate. "Please tell she didn't just ask me to challenge _Purple Eyes _to a _gym battle_! I'm a Ranger, not a freaking Pokémon Trainer! I don't do gym battles! I don't even look like a trainer!"

* * *

"I'm gonna kill you Summer…" Keith seethed. I smiled at my handiwork. Keith was in full costume: faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a red jacket that held a Badge Case in one of its pockets, a black and red cap with a white Pokèball symbol on the front, and a belt that held four Pokèballs.

'We don't have to go in the Pokèballs, do we?' Ben asked cautiously. I shook my head. 'Good. Because I would've refused.'

"Alright, Keith. Let's go. Just remember, call Ben 'Bolt' and Kate 'Sweetie'. Where did you come up with those names, anyway? Especially Kate's?"

"Don't ask. Just don't." Keith responded. He turned to Ben, and pointed to the door. "Bolt, Aura Sphere!"

'I hope he realizes he will never get to do this again.' Ben muttered, charging up an Aura Sphere. He shot towards the door, and sure enough, the door blasted to bits.

"What was that?" A voice I didn't recognize called out. Keith charged in with Ben and Kate. "Who are you, kid!?"

"I challenge you to a gym battle!" Keith cried. The dust cleared, and I saw that the man Keith was addressing had purple hair and purple eyes. He was holding Nema by her lab coat. He pushed her aside and glared at Keith.

"Look kid, this isn't-"

"Alright, Bolt, I choose you!" Ben shot forward to hover in front of Keith. "Who do you choose? Or are you scared?"

"Grr… Toxicroak, take care of them." Purple Eyes growled.

"Alright, Bolt, Aura Sphere!" Keith cried enthusiastically. I started creeping towards Leanne, who was closest. She was tied up in the corner. She caught sight of me, and opened her mouth to speak. I shook my head, and she closed her mouth. I ran up and untied her. She smiled at me. Meanwhile, Ben had just knocked Toxicroak out. Purple Eyes told one of his colleague's Crogunks to get out there.

"Alright, Bolt, return! Sweetie, your turn!" Ben flew back, and Kate hovered forward. A smirk- or what I thought was a smirk- played across her features.

'Time to have some fun.' She declared. She automatically sent a Dark Void towards the Crogunk knocking it out. 'How do ya like that?'

"Sweetie! I didn't… ugh, never mind. Dark Void, again. You know what to do!" Keith called. Kate sent Dark Void at a surprised Purple Eyes, immediately knocking him out and probably giving him nightmares. "Great work guys."

I grinned, and pretended to focus. Both Pokèmorphs morphed back into humans. Kate walked over to Keith and punched him into the arm.

"Why would you do that!?" Keith cried. "I mean-"

"_That's_ for calling me Sweetie!" She exclaimed. Her face softened, and she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "That's for going with the plan so well."

"Did you-" Keith touched the place where Kate had kissed him. Ben smirked at him, and Keith continued to stand there in disbelief. "She just- wow…"

I raced over to Nema. "Are you okay, Nema!? Did he hurt you?"

"No worries." Nema smiled. "He was okay. That was amazing! Thank you for rescuing us!"

"You did wonderful, you four. That was great plan." Leanne complimented. "I just wish you had gotten here sooner."

"Why?" Kate asked. "What did he do?"

"You see the murals on the wall?" Leanne gestured around the room. I had seen them before, but thought nothing of it. Now, I started recognizing things.

'It's about the Hero of Oblivia.' Arceus informed me. 'It's a prophecy and story. What happened once before will happen once again. The new Hero is the only who can save Oblivia.'

"Well, who's the new Hero?" I asked aloud. I noticed Leanne's stare, and shrugged and point at my head. "Arceus explained it."

'Who do you think it is?'

"Ben?" Ben glanced at me. "Still talking to Arceus, sorry."

'Really? Well, I suppose I have to let you figure it out on your own then.' Arceus sighed. I frowned. 'It's how I do things.'

"I've noticed." I deadpanned. "Anyway, Leanne, what were you saying?"

"Purple Eyes made me decipher them," She replied. Her glazed in worry. "And we could all be in grave danger."

'They're rebuilding the Sky Fortress…' Arceus gasped. I had never heard Arceus so… surprised. And was that… fear I detected in his voice? 'No! Well, maybe. The Sky Fortress can control legendaries. They'll go after Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres first.'

"Oh no…" My eyes widened in realization. "If they can control the legendaries-"

'Then they can also control you Pokèmorph friends.'

"This is bad. This is really bad." My friends glanced at me worriedly. "They want to rebuild the Sky Fortress. It lets them control the legendaries! _And_ the legendary Pokèmorphs!"

"Oh, crud." Kate glanced at her cousin. "They wouldn't hurt us- er, them? Right?"

"What do you think?" I asked sarcastically. "We have to get back to my place. We'll be safe there."

"I'm gonna regret this… Summer, you gotta teleport us." Ben exclaimed. "Try to land us on the ground."

"Yeah… I'll work on that." I focused on getting to my place. Pretty soon I felt my feet get wet, and I looked down. "At least I didn't drown us this time?"

"Of course." Ben frowned. We ran into the house.

"You've got a nice place." Keith commented. "Very homey."

"Summer, you're back!" Murph ran up to greet us. "I see the rescue mission was successful?"

"Yep!" I replied cheerfully. "It most certainly did!"

"Why does Keith look like a trainer?" Keith turned to glare at the speaker. Erin gave him a apologetic smile. "Just saying."

"It was all part of the plan." I grinned. "Leanne, Nema, make yourselves at home and- WHO'S IN MY ROOM!?"

The others stared at me weirdly. I had heard someone up there though. Avoiding running into Jen, who had just walked in the room, I raced up the stairs. I swung my door open and glanced inside, ready to face the intruder.

"AAH, SUMMER DON'T KILL ME!" It was just Ravio, who now had his hands up in a surrender position. "I'm sorry!"

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked, calming my anger.

"Exploring."

"Why, exactly?"

"Cause."

"That's not an answer." I growled. "You didn't touch anything, did you?"

"Um… no?"

"Good." I smiled. "Now, why don't you go wreck Jake's room?"

"Okay!" With that, he ran off. I smiled. Problem number 543 solved.

'543? When did you solve these other 542?' Leave it to Arceus to ruin the mood. 'I mean, besides the one with Kira and Leanne and Nema.'

"Arceus, do me a favor and shut up."

'Why? Cause I am in the mood to talk. You should honor my wish to talk you know. After all, I am the King of Pokémon. Or did you forget. You seem to do that quite often. You are-'

"SHUT UP, ARCEUS!"

* * *

(Ben's POV)

I sat down on the couch, rather bored. It was a nice feeling, actually. Being bored. Finally having nothing to do. Not dying, or casing bad guys, or fighting bad guys, or dying. Ah, yes. Relaxing and being bored was nice.

I stared at the time. It was 3:46. Still a lot of time left in the day. To relax. I think I used to take boredom and relaxation and safety for granted. It really was a luxury. Especially with so many people trying to kill me and all.

Summer seemed pretty happy to me. I couldn't tell that well. I know that I wasn't all that worried about the Sky Fortress thing. But Summer was good at hiding her emotions. Which bothered me sometimes. Okay, most of the time. She was my best friend! I should be able to help her when she's sad. I should _know_ when she's sad. But no, I ended up feeling like an idiot when she actually tells me she's sad because I had no clue!

Granted, I wasn't all that great at empathy. Never was. But I tried. I tried my hardest and most of the time made things a lot worse. There was one point that I worried that Summer was shutting me out because of that. I know better now. I just wish she'd let me in sometimes.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Erin asked, sitting next to me. "Wait, let me guess. Summer?"

"Yeah, basically." I mumbled. "She so… ugh, she never lets me in! And when she does, I never say the right thing! I feel like an idiot now! I only ever make her cry _more_! I can't do anything right!"

"That's what you think." Erin pointed out. "But what does Summer think? You can't read her mind. You aren't a Pokémon. Maybe Summer doesn't let you in because she's worried she lash out and say something she can't take back?"

"Maybe." I mumbled. I stared at the stairs, where Summer had disappeared. "At least she'd be talking to me."

"She does talk to you. She does let you in." Erin smiled. "You just need to learn how to listen."

"Oh, so now I'm not a good listener?" I grumbled sarcastically. "Thank you for summing that up."

"You listen well, maybe. Great even!" Erin exclaimed. "But how are you listening? With your ears, or with your heart. Mute out what your ears hear and your eyes see. Listen to what your heart tells you."

"Thanks, Erin." I smiled at her. "Since when were you any good at deep, philosophical speeches?"

"Maybe I took lessons from a friend?" She grinned. "Well, see you later bro!"

"Wait, where are you going?" I exclaimed. "Erin!"

"I'm going surfing! The waves are great here!" And with that, she was out the door. I stared after her in slight disbelief, and shook my head slightly. That girl never ceased to amaze me. I glanced back at the stairs. As if on cue, Summer came running down them, her light brown hair flowing wildly behind her. I smiled in spite of myself. Maybe Erin was right. Maybe all I needed… was to listen with my heart.

**A/N: Two chapters in one day! WOOO! A deep philosophical speech from Erin that probably isn't all that great! Yeah! Over a hundred reviews from you guys! AWESOME! Thank you sooo much for sticking with me. Chapter 25 (OMG cannot believe I will be on chapter 25!) is on its way soon! Hopefully! And I still don't own Pokémon! Oh, and virtual high five if you caught the How to Train Your Dragon references in there! **


	25. Ink Paintings and Clouds

(Summer's POV)

I raced down the stairs, having solved the problem in my room. I had almost forgotten that I wanted to give Ben a tour of the house. Not to mention, we needed some alone time for once. Just me and him, talking like old times. It'd be fun.

Jake and Ben were both in the living room when I got down there. Jake was watching something on the TV… was that the Sinnoh Championship? Anyways, I made a beeline for Ben.

"Ben," I poked his shoulder. He looked at me. "Come to my room with me."

"Ooh, alone, huh?" Jake grinned. I glanced at him. "I better not tell Dad, I guess."

"J-jake!" Ben stuttered, his face bright red. It was then I realized what Jake was implying.

"We're just gonna talk!" I cried. "Why would you even think- I mean, we just… you..."

"Relax. No matter what Dad says, Ben has _my _permission to kiss you to his heart's content." Jake gave us a smug grin. "Now run along!"

Ben's face was bright red. He let out a serious of incomprehensible stutters before shutting up and glaring at Jake. My eyes were wide and my cheeks were burning.

"Jake, we aren't- just- go jump off a bridge!" I cried, grabbing Ben's hand and dragging him upstairs. Jake just continued laughing at us.

"Proof!" He cried. "Just more proof!"

"Whatever!" I called back, slamming my door shut. I could still hear Jake laughing his head off downstairs. "My brother's an idiot. I could be saying the same things about him and Jen!"

"And Jen would react the same way you did." Ben chuckled. I gave him a playful glare and tackled him to the ground. "Hey!"

"Your face was redder than a Tamato Berry!" I teased. "You were stuttering like crazy!"

"Same difference!" Ben pushed me off of him, and pinned me down instead. "You told your brother to jump off a bridge."

"Sisters do that!" I exclaimed. I pushed him off me, and we both collapsed into giggles. "This is just like in school."

"Yeah, remember that time you and Kate dyed Mr. Kincaid's hair purple?" He laughed. "You ended up sleeping in my room that night because you were hiding from him."

"And the time you and Kellyn locked him out of the classroom?" I snickered. "The look on his face was hilarious."

"I know." He smiled. "I miss those times. Just you and me, lying under the stars, with nothing to worry about."

"Watch this." I got up and pressed a button on the wall. Immediately, the ceiling above my bed opened up. It was still light outside. "You can sneak into my room tonight, and we can watch the stars."

"That'd be nice." He smiled. "Just like old times, right?"

"Yeah…" I sighed wistfully. I turned my attention back to Ben. "Just make sure Jake doesn't see you, or he'll never let us hear the end of it."

"Oh man, that'd be bad." Ben laughed. "So… whatcha wanna talk about?"

"I dunno." I muttered, hating the slight awkwardness that had settled over us. I glanced at my stuff. I grabbed my ink kit from my dresser. "Check this out. I got it for my tenth birthday."

We sat down on the floor, and I opened up the set. It was simple, used for writing and drawing. It was neat. There was a little jar of India Ink, and several different brushes. I pulled out a sheet of paper, and opened the ink.

"See, it's really simple." I started drawing on the paper. I was trying to draw a flower. "And my flower looks like a fish. My artistic talent does not exist."

Ben lied down on his stomach, as I tried to draw again. I got frustrated, and slammed my brush onto the paper, leaving a rather ugly ink mark. In my frustration, I had accidently knocked over the ink bottle. I hurriedly picked it up, and noticed some had spilled onto Ben's shirt.

"Sorry." I grimaced. Of course I had to go and mess up like that! Now I felt like an idiot. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Ah, it's fine." Ben shrugged. To my surprise, he simply slipped his shirt off and threw it on the floor. I grimaced slightly seeing some of the scars from the submarine incident. I felt a stab of guilt upon realizing they were my fault.

"Maybe we should put the ink away." I suggested. Ben nodded, and we put up the supplies. Ben grabbed some tape, and taped my fish-flower and ink splatter painting on the wall. "Why'd you do that?"

"I like it." He said simply, smiling at me. I lied back on the bed. Ben sat down next to me. "Don't you?"

"No." I grumbled. "I ruined it."

"No you didn't." Ben lied back next to me, and stared up at the sky through the skylight. "That cloud looks like a dog."

"No it doesn't, it looks like a Kadabra!" I declared. "With a fork."

"No, it's a dog."

"Kadabra."

"Dog."

"It's a Kadabra!" I exclaimed. "How does that look like a dog?"

"How does your flower look like a fish?" Ben countered, making eye contact with me. "The cloud is a dog and your painting is of a flower."

"Uh-huh, and I'm beautiful." I added sarcastically, looking back at the clouds. I felt Ben move beside me, and suddenly he had me pinned to the bed. "Get off."

"You are beautiful." He responded. I rolled my eyes. "You just have no self-confidence."

"You're just saying that to boost my self-esteem." I frowned. Ben smiled and moved his head closer to mine.

"No I'm not. I'm telling the truth." He whispered. He leaned closer. "And only the truth."

"Ben-"

"You believe me, right?" He asked. I rolled my eyes again. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Nope."

"Well, I'll prove it to you." He took a breath of air and leaned a little closer. I found myself leaning upwards as well. We were so close our noses were touching. I felt my cheeks heating up and my heart eating wildly in my chest. Then... the click of a camera and laughing. Both of us shot up to face the source of the sound.

"JACOB!"

* * *

Nearly two hours later after the incident and me and Ben's almost kiss (That's how I saw it, anyways.), we were sitting at the dinner table. Actually, Mom had to get out another table because there were so many of us. I had found Ben a new shirt (One of Jake's old t-shirts) and Jake kept grinning slyly at us. I would glare at him every time he looked our way. Mom was talking about football again (Go figure) with Dad. Nema was telling Ravio something that made his face light up like she had just given him all the candy in the world. Jen and Jake were talking, and every now and then, one of them would glance at me and Ben. Leanne was talking to Erin, who was listening intently. And Kate and Keith were having a mini food fight. Despite what happened, Ben and I weren't as awkward as I suspected. He would sneak the broccoli off my plate when Mom and Dad weren't looking. I swear he's the only sixteen year old who likes broccoli. I most certainly didn't.

"What's the plan tonight?" He asked me quietly. I shrugged. "You have a plan, right?"

"The guest room you're staying in is down the hall from mine. You and Jen will be in there. Kate and Keith are share a room, so do Nema and Ravio and Erin and Leanne." I thought about the best way for Ben to get to my room without waking up Jen. "Unfortunately, Jake's room is right next door to yours."

"So I can't wake up Jen or Jake." Ben stated. "Alright. I can do that."

"Jen is a really light sleeper." Both of our heads shot up to face the speaker. Erin was smiling innocently at us. And Leanne was giving Ben a hard glare. "So Ben's gonna sneak into your room? What for, might I ask?"

"To watch the stars." Ben responded automatically, shying away from Leanne's glare. "Like in school."

"That'd better be all." Leanne warned.

"Who are you my mother?" I grumbled, under my breath. Ben shot me a look, and I shrugged. "What?"

"Just remember that we're next door." Leanne glared at Ben again, before returning to her food. I winced at her severity. Leanne could be rather overprotective of me sometimes.

"Don't worry about Leanne, Ben." I smiled. "She's overprotective. Like Rand."

"Yeah." Ben nodded. "Are you going to eat the rest of that broccoli?"

"You are a strange boy." I laughed, pushing my plate to him. "Strange indeed."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

C'mon…. fall asleep… fall asleep…. Finally! I pushed my covers off, and stepped out of bed. Glancing at the time, it was 9:54. I hoped Summer was still awake. I snuck out of the room, and down the hall. I rapped softly on her door. She immediately yanked it open, and grinned at me. I walked inside, and she closed the door. Summer laid down on her bed. She beckoned me over.

"You can lay down. Don't worry." She said quietly. I walked over and climbed in the bed next to her. We stared upwards at the stars. Just like old times. I was surprised she even let me in her room, after the stunt I pulled earlier. I didn't know what I was thinking. Summer pointed upwards. "See, there's Scorpio. Right there."

"And the Milky Way." I pointed towards the sky. Summer smiled and moved her arm to point elsewhere. "The sky is beautiful."

"It is." She laughed a little and glanced at me. "Arceus has been gone since four."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" I asked. "You always complain about him."

"I kinda miss him. At least, I miss not having someone to talk to when I'm falling asleep at night." She sat up. "Granted, he kept me up at night sometimes. But it can be comforting knowing that the King of all Pokémon is there to protect you. I mean, I have you. But… I won't always. One day, we'll both probably end up going our separate ways. And while it probably won't matter to us by then, it scares me now. It helps to know there's someone who will always be there for me."

"What makes you think I'll leave you one day?" I stared at her in surprise. "Why would I ever leave you?"

"We'll have a fight or something and… you'll just get up and leave. And never come back." Summer sighed. "I'd rather that, though, than the other alternative."

"The other alternative?"

"If you got hurt or sick… and… didn't make it… I don't want to outlive you. I know that sounds weird. But still…" She glanced away. "I'd give my life to save yours."

"I'd do the exact same, y'know." I replied. "Summer, look at me. I would _rather_ die than not be with you. I'd rather be with you for the rest of my life- no matter how short it ends up being- and meet up with you in Heaven, than leave you or forget about you."

"You're such a nice person." Summer mumbled. "I just… I guess I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be." I wrapped my arms around her. "Not if I can help it."

"You can't help it." Summer muttered. "You know we're gonna have to go save the world again tomorrow."

"We're the good guys. We'll win." I smiled. "Even if I have to die again and you have to bring me back to life."

"I can't do that." She said suddenly. "Arceus said it was a one-time deal. I won't be able to bring you back to life again. Trust me, if I could, I wouldn't be as worried. But I can't, and that's what scares me. That you will die, and I won't be able to save you. It'll be all my fault, too. Me and my stupidity."

"I don't care if you can't save me." I stroked some of her hair out of her face. "I'll protect _you_ no matter what. I promise I'll protect you forever."

**A/N: I am staring at my computer screen in disbelief as I update this for the third time today. Another melodramatic chapter with a whole lot of fluff. And teasing. Hopefully this makes up for not updating for months. Yes, I added a Heaven reference. And I am very sorry for those who don't believe in that. I do. It fit. I still own absolutely nothing that has to do with Pokémon. Not Ben, not Summer, not anything. CHAPTER 25! CANNOT BELIEVE MYSELF! :) :) Thank you for all the positive reviews people! 3 **


	26. Enter the Relatives

(Summer's POV)

"Summer." I groaned, and snuggled closer to whatever was keeping me warm. "Summer, wake up…"

"I'm comfy…" I muttered. "Let me sleep…"

"Summer, you're crushing my arm." My eyes snapped open. I was suddenly aware of another heartbeat. I was snuggled up against someone, their arms around me. I looked up to make eye contact with Ben. He gave me a slight smile. His hair was ruffled, and he looked like he just woke up. I realized we must of fallen asleep while stargazing last night. It occurred to me that someone had pulled the covers over us at sometime last night, because I felt the familiar weight of my comforter over us.

"Sorry." I pulled away a little, still kinda hesitant to leave his warmth. Ben chuckled, and I could feel the vibrations of his voice in his chest. "What time is it?"

"Like eight. Hopefully Jen hasn't woken up yet." Ben looked at me. I suddenly felt kind of self-conscious. I wasn't much of a morning person, and my hair was probably a wreck. "We can sleep a bit longer, if you'd like."

"Yeah. Okay. We'll do that." I snuggled back up to him and closed my eyes, embracing the comforting feeling of having his arms wrapped around me protectively. Suddenly, I heard the door

"BENJAMIN NATSUYA! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" I felt Ben tense up at the voice. I got the feeling it was Jen. Who would tell Jake. Who would tease us for the rest of the day.

"Uh… Jen, it's not what you think!" Ben exclaimed immediately. "We fell asleep while stargazing last night."

"Stargazing, indeed." I didn't have to look to know the older girl was glaring at us. I sighed. I just wanted to sleep. "When did you sneak in here?"

"Jen, let us sleep. I'm comfortable." I muttered. "And don't you dare tell my brother."

"Oh, she doesn't have too. Her outburst attracted a whole lot of attention." I groaned as my brother's voice sounded from the doorway. I reluctantly pushed the covers away and we both sat up. Jen, Jake, Erin, Leanne, and Murph were all inside my room. Murph, Jake, and Erin were all snickering, while Jen and Leanne were both glaring. I felt my face heat up.

"You two are so cute!" Erin squealed. "All snuggled up like that!"

"Jake got pictures." Murph grinned. "Oh, and your mom knows."

"Crud." I glanced at Ben. He winced. "We aren't in trouble, right?"

"Not from Mom. But when Dad finds out…" Jake smirked evilly. "You won't be punished as much as Ben will."

"Don't tell Dad."

"Oh, we will." Leanne glared. "It'll be even worse when Rand finds out."

'What'll be worse when Rand finds out?' I nearly jumped when Arceus' voice popped into my head. 'I had business to attend to yesterday. You'll be glad to know that Kellyn and Lunick won't destroy Mars with their fighting.'

"I'm not even gonna ask." I muttered under my breath. Ben glanced at me. "Arceus is back."

"Wonderful." He turned his attention back to our 'guests'. "Alright, we're getting up. We'll try not to fall asleep stargazing next time."

This seemed to satisfy Leanne and Jen, who immediately left. Jake and Murph continued snickering until I sent them a glare. They quickly shut up, and awkwardly shuffled out of the room muttering about appointments and making breakfast. Only Erin stayed longer. She sent Ben a knowing smile, and winked at me. Then, she was gone. I didn't understand her sometimes.

Ben slid out of the bed first, and I followed close behind. I straightened my tank top, and grabbed my vest off the dresser. I slid it on, along with my goggles and Styler. I grabbed a comb and brushed out my hair a little. I looked at my bed. I probably needed to make it, but I really didn't want to.

"Let's go get breakfast before they come back." Ben decided. I nodded, and we walked out the door. I flipped off my light after we left. We walked silently down the hall, both still a bit embarrassed. I ran down the stairs, since it was a habit of mine, and into the kitchen. I sat down in my customary seat. Ben soon took his place next to me. Mom was already setting the table.

"Morning, sleepyheads." She smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Mom." I replied, while Ben just nodded. Mom chuckled, and walked over to the stove. She grabbed a plate of bacon and set it in front of us.

"Help yourself, I made plenty." She went back to setting the table. "I trust you two behaved yourselves last night?"

I was waiting for that.

'Does this have something to do with what you don't want Rand finding out?'

"Yes, now shut up Arceus." I grumbled. "To think I missed you."

'So you did miss me!?' Arceus seemed to be cheering. 'I knew you would!'

"Er, yes, we did." Ben answered my mother's question for me. "Summer's mad at Arceus it seems."

'She isn't mad! She missed me!' Arceus bragged. 'Well, I am back. Perhaps you'd like to blow up more doors? Read more minds? Perhaps contact Deoxys and Darkrai to tell them to control their sons?'

"Again, not gonna ask about that last part." I rolled my eyes. "Since when does Deoxys have a kid?"

"Oh! Yeah, Mew told me about that!" Ben exclaimed. "And I can't wait to tease him when we get home."

"Summer, sometimes I wonder what exactly goes on in your life." Mom laughed. "And the n I think, no, I really don't want to know!"

"You probably don't." I warned. "It's kinda crazy."

"I'll trust you on that." She grinned. She glanced at the clock. "I had better wake up your father. Otherwise, he'll sleep until noon."

"Okay." I watched her walk away. Ben looked at me. "You think she'll tell him?"

"I hope not." Ben winced. "I'd rather not be kicked out of the house."

'Why would your father kick your boyfriend out of the house?'

"Not my boyfriend, Arceus." I muttered. So I liked Ben. He didn't like me back, so Arceus had no right to tease me. "And don't comment on that thought."

'I invited Darkrai and Latios to your house.'

"I hate you." I grumbled. "I really do."

"What'd he do?" Ben laughed. "Invite Kate's dad?"

"Exactly." I sighed. "And your father."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ben gasped. "Dad's coming over?"

'Dad's here now!' We turned around to face a Latios behind us. 'Ah, teleportation. I'd better use my human form, though.'

"Dad! You- ah, that was quick!" Ben exclaimed. The older Latios was engulfed in a bright light, and soon there was a man that looked a lot like Ben standing in front of us.

"Arceus thought it'd be good to spend some time with my boy and his girlfriend! Good idea, don't you think!?" Ben's Dad laughed. "Summer, you can call me Latios. If anyone asks, it's a nickname."

"Yeah… okay." I said awkwardly. "Nice to meet you… Mr. Latios."

"Just Latios."

"Alright, Latios." I glanced at Ben, who shrugged. "What about Darkrai?"

"Ah, old Dark's coming too, is he!?" Latios grinned. "It'll be nice to see him."

'I'm not old, Latios. I'm you age.' As if on cue, Darkrai emerged from the shadows. He morphed, much like Kate had, into a human. He looked a lot like Kellyn, but with black hair and red eyes. The tip of his hair was white, and he wore an outfit that looked like a Darkrai. I guess that was how it worked, since Ben's dad's outfit was patterned like an Arceus. "Hello, Summer, Benjamin. You may call me Darkrai. Or Dark, if you so wish."

"Hey, Summer! You're beds are comfy!" I looked towards the stairs and saw Kate walking drowsily down them. "Got a great sleep, gave Keith nightmares, and- oh, hey, Dad."

"Katherine, good to see you!" Darkrai grinned, and walked up to Kate. "Good to know you've embraced the family tradition."

"Yep." She smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Arceus thought it'd be good for me to get to know your friends." Darkrai informed. "And keep you safe, of course."

"I don't need protecting." Kate frowned. She walked up to the table, and sat down beside me. That was when she noticed Latios. "Hey, Uncle Lati."

"It's Latios, Kate." Latios declared. "Lati is my sister's nickname."

"Meh, it works both ways." She shrugged. "I heard that Kellyn and Lunick got into a fight again. Kell said that Arceus showed up to stop it."

"That's what Arceus said." I affirmed. "Wait- Lunick is Deoxys' kid?"

"Yep. And his mom is half Plusle or something like that." Kate nodded. "He gets bunny ears whenever he's ticked. It's rather funny."

"Your hair turns white and your eyes turn red, Kate." Latios pointed out. "And you go nightmare crazy."

"That's a perfectly good trait, Latios." Darkrai argued. "And she knows it!"

"Summer, what's all the commotion out here?" I looked up as Mom emerged from her room. "Your father is getting up and- oh, we have guests. Hello."

"You must be Summer's mother." Darkrai greeted. "I am Kate's father, and this is Ben's father."

"Why, I do see the resemblance!" Mom exclaimed. "My name is Carol. Yes, I'm Summer's mother. What are your names?"

"I go by Latios, and he goes by Darkrai, or Dark for short." Latios nodded towards Ben. "This is the first time in a while I've seen Ben in _person_."

"I see Kate and her brother all the time." Darkrai looked at Latios strangely. "I would have thought… never mind."

"Some of us don't have the ability nor the time to visit our kids." Latios grumbled. "Especially when some people make a point of trying to stop us."

"Are you two staying for breakfast? I made plenty for everyone. You are welcome to stay." Darkrai nodded gratefully at my mother's request and took a seat next to Latios, who had sat down next to Ben. "Are the others coming down?"

"I have arrived!" I groaned as Keith announced his presence suddenly with a loud shout. He sauntered over to the table. "Did you miss me?"

"No, not really." I responded. "Kate might of."

"Shut up." She hissed. Darkrai seemed to realize something, and grinned evilly. "I did not!"

"Is this the Keith boy I keep hearing about?" He asked Kate. Kate's face went red. "Shame. I left all my weaponry at home."

"D-dad!" Kate stuttered. "That's rude! Be nice to Keith!"

"I should get to know him, shouldn't I?" Darkrai mused. "After all, he is my future son-in-law."

"W-what!? W-wait a minute, _you're _Kate's father? I- uh, I don't.. we aren't… uh-"

"Stop fumbling with your words child. I'm just teasing." Darkrai chuckled. Latios nearly choked on his drink, and looked at him in disbelief. "What is it, Latios?"

"You!? _Teasing_!?" Latios laughed. "You aren't fun! You most certainly never tease!"

"And you are?" Keith glanced at Latios uncertainly. "Wait… let me guess, Kate's uncle or something."

"Yes, and Ben's father." Latios smiled. "Didn't you see the resemblance?"

"I guess… why did, er, Mr. Shadows call you Latios?" Keith glanced at Ben and Kate, then back to their parents. "It's kinda a weird nickname."

"It's an old joke, actually. Everyone in our family has Pokémon nicknames. Kate's father is Darkrai." Latios chuckled. "Of course, he lives up to his name."

"Don't you find it weird to have your father and uncle, who are both Pokémon by the way, at the table talking about _nicknames_ with Keith?" I whispered to Ben. He shrugged.

"I don't know my dad all that well, but I get the feeling he's like this on a regular basis." He muttered back. I just shook my head and laughed.

'He is. Latios is a fun Pokémon. Almost as fun as myself. Well, that's actually a long shot. No, not quite. Thankfully, he isn't crazy like Mew.' Arceus responded in my head.

"Nice of you to speak up _now_." I declared sarcastically. "Ben, I've decided something. You have a crazy family."

"Tell me about it." He laughed. "To think, I used to believe I didn't have any family left."

'Ha! He wishes. Does he know how many legendaries there are? And then Pokèmorphs.' Arceus laughed. 'And children of Pokèmorphs, and their children, and their children.'

"You have a huge family." I told Ben. "Like, humongous."

"Great."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

Sooner or later, everyone had trickled into the dining room. Most didn't bother to ask about the two new guests. Those who did were told to wait until everyone came down. I was in charge of instructions. Thank you very much, Summer.

"Heard that, and you are very much welcome." Of course she heard my thoughts. "Yep."

By the time everyone was served and seated, I had come up with a decent speech to explain what they were doing here. It was short, sweet, and to the point.

"Alright, um, I guess you're wondering who the two new guys are?" That was not how it was supposed to start. Nevertheless, there were murmurs of agreement from the… well, I guess you could call us a crowd by now. "Okay. The one sitting next to me is my father. I'm sure you can see the resemblance. And the man next to him is D- Kate's dad and my uncle."

"…You aren't very good at introductions, are you Benjamin?" Darkrai asked. I shook my head, slightly embarrassed. "Of course. You get it from your father."

"I'm good at intros!" Dad exclaimed. "But I never know someone you guys don't!"

"And when you tried to introduce Maya?" Darkrai smirked. I stiffened at the mention of my mother. "You were a stuttering idiot!"

"Oh, be quiet." Dad frowned. "You weren't any better introducing Kate's mom! You were all like, 'Uh, this is, uh, this is, uh… Lila… she, uh, well…' and all that. It was hilarious!"

"Dad _stuttered_?" Kate laughed. "No way!"

"I hate you Latios. I really do." Darkrai growled. "You won't be getting any sleep tonight."

"Aw, c'mon. What's family for?" Dad grinned. After that little spiel, everyone seemed to like them. Which was good. Jake leaned over and whispered something to his father halfway through the meal. Summer's dad automatically turned to glare at me slightly, but his wife mumbled something to him, and his glare softened. I glanced at Summer, and the look on her face told me she was thinking the same thing. He'd found out about last night.

* * *

By the time breakfast was over, Kate and Keith's side of the table was covered in eggs and bacon. So were their faces. But judging by the grits and milk in Keith's hair and the fact that his shirt was soaked and stained orange, I decided that Kate had won. Darkrai had praised his daughter for a 'job well done.' Summer's dad walked over to mine.

"Can I speak with you for a moment?" He asked. Dad gave me a confused glance, then nodded. They walked out of the room.

"You're in trouble!" Jake grinned. "I told Dad about last night."

"What happened last night?" Keith asked curiously, wiping whip cream off his face. I noticed Kate holding a bottle of whip cream. Where she got it was beyond me. "Did Ben sneak into Summer's room or something?"

"Why, that's exactly what he did!" Jake smirked. "They slept in the same bed too."

"Why am I only hearing about this now!?" Keith cried. "I am _always_ the first to know about these things! Always! An nice going Ben. Finally made your move, did you?"

"Keith!" I exclaimed. "N-no, that's not at all what happened! We were just stargazing!"

"Uh-huh, sure." He laughed. "Man, if I had the guts to sleep with _Kate_!"

"Excuse me, _what _did you just say, young man?" Keith grimaced as Darkrai glared at him. "You will stay away from my daughter."

"Dude, I was just joking." He muttered. "I do that."

"Keith, just… don't make it worse." Kate scolded. "Dad, don't worry about Keith. Trust me, I have my eye on him."

"Alright, Katherine. I trust you." Kate sighed as her father stopped glaring at Keith. "But no funny business, either of you. And, Benjamin, you do know your father will either laugh it off or _congratulate _you?"

"And… that won't make Summer's dad very happy…" I sighed. "Why did _I_ get stuck with the weird dad?"

"At least you weren't stuck with Lunick's dad." Kate smiled. "Unless you like outer space, 24/7."

"I really don't." I grimaced. "Okay, I like my dad."

"Good." Kate smiled.

"And don't worry about my dad." Summer added. "He'll shrug it off sooner or later."

"Alright, who wants to go swimming!?" Erin suddenly called. We all looked at her. "C'mon, it'd be a good bonding experience."

"There's like fifteen of us though!" Kate explained. "How do you suggest we _bond_?"

"How about the kids hang out at the beach, and us adults can hang out at the hot springs?" Summer's mom suggested. They had a hot springs? "So that will be me, Chris, um, Latios, Darkrai, Jake, Jen, Murph, Leanne, and Erin at the hot springs?"

"I'll go with the kids." Erin declared. "That's me, Ben, Summer, Kate, Keith, and Nema, right?"

"I wanna swim, I wanna swim!" I whipped around as a seven year old girl with pink hair rushes in the room, followed closely by a sixteen year old boy with purple hair. "I'll swim with Benny and Katie! I'll swim!"

"Mew!" The boy yelled. "Knock it off!"

"No way, Big Brother!" She ran up to me and hugged me. "Hiya, Benny!"

"Um… Mew, what are you doing here?" I asked her. She grinned up at me. I'll admit, she had a good disguise. It fit her personality. She already had her bathing suit on, a pink one piece with flowers on it. "Shouldn't you be, I dunno, annoying Lunick?"

"Luny's busy." She pouted. "So can I swim? Can I, can I, can I!?"

"And meet our craziest cousin! Presenting the little girl who calls herself Mew!" Kate introduced sarcastically. "And her older brother, who goes by Mewtwo, who always comes to rescue."

"Alright… so it's me, Ben, Summer, Kate, Keith, Nema, Mew, and, er, Mewtwo going to the beach?" Erin asked awkwardly. Mewtwo sighed and nodded. "Alright. Why don't we go-"

"TO THE BEACH!" Mew zipped out the door, and Mewtwo facepalmed.

"Yes. To the beach." He repeated, with nowhere near as much enthusiasm. "Let's hope she hasn't accidentally drowned herself already."

**A/N: And that is the end of the super long chapter 26! Kind of a filler chapter. I'll find a way to add action next chappie. Hopefully. I still, unfortunately, don't own Pokémon. The Legendaries are NOT random additions because I wanted them to show up. Or, at least, they won't be. Eventually. Maybe. Hopefully.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	27. Kidnapped Again!

(Summer's POV)

I'll admit, I was kind of worried about Mew being around. Granted, she did save Ben after the submarine incident. But I could easily guess that she was disaster prone. Arceus confirmed my theory. Apparently, she wasn't allowed near lighters, matches, fireworks, knives, forks, books (He told me not to ask about that one.), and sugar. He also told me that she tended to blurt out things, and read minds. Great.

"Summer, let's have a splash contest!" Mew cried out. "It'll be me and you and Benny, against Katie and Keithy and Erin!"

"Let's not." Mewtwo grumbled, sitting on the sand. He was tracing symbols in the sand with a stick. He wasn't even paying attention to them, but he was a psychic type. He probably knew exactly what he was doing. "Once again, Mew, you'll drown yourself."

"No I won't!" She whined. "I'm in like, two feet of water."

"Three, and yes you will." Mewtwo sighed tiredly. "Or should we just leave?"

"You're no fun, Big Brother!" Mew cried. "Why can't you be nice!?"

"Mew's right, you know." Kate glanced at Mewtwo. "You need to chillax, cuz."

"First off, don't call me 'cuz'. Second, no I don't need to relax or chill or whatever!" Mewtwo growled. "The second I let my guard down, Mew is gonna get us all killed."

"No, that one Gathering you didn't come to she was fine!" Kate defended. "Dad had to knock her out because she'd gotten a hold of my chainsaw, but whatever."

"The evil chainsaw." Ben shuddered. Keith snickered. "Oh, yeah, you try being duct taped to a tree and nearly getting your arm cut off and then we'll see who's laughing!"

"Whatever, Ben." Keith shrugged. "It was funny."

"Yeah, funny until Ben started screaming." I added. "Then… not so funny anymore."

'Ah, yes, Kate told us about that.' Arceus chuckled. 'Quite a tale. Funny how she twisted to be Keith's fault.'

"Kate told her family it was your fault, Keith." I informed the redhead. He stared at me, then turned to glare at Kate. She shrugged, and then mouthed to me, 'Why would you tell him!?'. I just laughed and shook my head.

'Latios was so mad! He wanted to go find Keith right away!' Arceus laughed. 'That was when Mew got the chainsaw. Anyways, I really must go again Summer. Dialga and Palkia had an argument.'

"Thanks for telling me." I sighed. "Be back soon. I don't wanna wait until the next Gathering or whatever."

"Gatherings are fun!" Mew exclaimed. "I get to see everyone and bother Girantina and Darkrai!"

"She annoys _everyone_ on a regular basis!" Mewtwo growled. "It's like her talent or something."

"Nuh-uh! I don't annoy Latias or Celebi or Manaphy!" Mew defended. "They like me!"

"They're as crazy as you are!" Mewtwo argued. "Ugh, just leave me be."

"Fine! I'll talk to Keithy!" She exclaimed. "Keithy, watch!"

"O…kay…" He agreed, shrugging. Mew dove under the water, and when she emerged, she was back in Pokémon form. "Woah! What the heck! When'd a Mew get here!?"

'It's me, silly!' Mew exclaimed, this time telepathically. "Duh!"

"Ah, no no no! Mew! Why did you do that!?" Kate moaned. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Wait a minute… that's the little girl?" Keith gasped. "She's a Pokémon!?"

"Yes, that would be our cousin. Mew… the legendary Pokémon." Kate sighed, rubbing her temples. "Of course, you would've never known that if she hadn't of decided to mess up! AGAIN!"

"Wait… but if she's your cousin then…." Keith trailed off. Kate nodded, and winced. "You were adopted by legendary Pokémon!?"

"No, Keith. Neither me or Ben were _adopted_." Kate groaned. "My dad is Darkrai."

"Like- the Pokémon!?" Keith exclaimed. "But… he seemed perfectly human at breakfast!"

"My dad's Latios!" Ben added. "I didn't find out until pretty recently, though."

"So… neither of you are human?" Keith asked cautiously. Both Pokèmorphs nodded. "Oh… that's great."

With that, Keith fainted.

* * *

"I can't believe you gave it away, Mew!" Kate shouted. We had carried Keith into the house, and laid him on the couch. We left Nema outside with Mewtwo, and Ben volunteered to get his dad. He should return soon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a secret." She squeaked. "I was trying to be fun!"

"I know, Mew." Kate sighed. "But what if he hates me? I'm the daughter of Darkrai. I'm a monster."

"Kate, you aren't a monster." I soothed. "You're one of the coolest people I know!"

"Summer!" I turned to see Ben hurrying into the room with his dad. "I got Dad."

"Didn't bother explaining, either." Latios grumbled. 'What's up?"

"Keith fainted." I informed. "Mew might have accidentally revealed the Pokemorph thing."  
"So you want me to heal him?" Latios nodded. "Alright."  
He quickly morphed into Latios, and placed is- hand, paw?- on Keith's chest and backed away. Pretty soon, Keith woke up.

"Woah, I just had the weirdest dream. Ben was related to Latios and Kate was related to Darkrai and there was a Mew and…" He trailed off, seeing us. Latios was still a Pokémon. Mew was hovering beside Kate. "Dang it, that was real, wasn't it."

'Yep. Welcome back to the realm of the living, kid.' Latios grinned. 'Kind of astonishing, huh?"

"Kind of?" Keith gave a dry laugh, although his voice was higher than usual. "I just found out that two of my best friends aren't even _human_? No, that's not kind or astonishing. It's horribly astonishing!"

"You don't hate me… right?" Kate asked him nervously. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you but… Of course, you probably want to avoid me for the rest of your life. I'm a monster."

"Kate! Why would you say something like that!?" Keith gasped. I exchanged glances with both Ben and his dad. Ben nodded. These two needed to be alone for a bit.

"I… have to get back to back to the adults. They'll be wondering." Latios declared awkwardly, before transforming back and running back to the hot springs.

"Me and Ben are gonna go… hang out. Upstairs. In my room or something." I decided, grabbing Ben's arm. "Don't come looking for us."

Once again, I dragged a bewildered Ben up the stairs and into my room. I slammed the door shut. I opened the skylight, and laid down on my bed.

"You coming?" I asked Ben, scooting over to give him room. He nodded awkwardly, and laid down beside me. "You think Keith will finally ask her out?"

"Who knows?" Ben chuckled. "He's unpredictable."

"Like you." I grinned, sitting up and poking his chest. He glanced at me, then shook his head. "What? It's true!"

"You're unpredictable. Am I the one with Arceus in my head? Nope." Ben laughed. "I can't explode doors in human form either."

"You're a Pokèmorph, Arceus is your _family_!" I exclaimed. "Besides, you can turn into a Latios!"

"Whatever." Ben rolled his eyes. I laid back onto the bed, and stared at the clouds. "The clouds are beautiful."

"I know something even more gorgeous." Ben commented. I looked at him.

"What?"

"Not telling." Ben grinned. "Sorry."

"Hey, where did Ravio disappear to?" I asked. I had just noticed his disappearance. "To the past or something?"

"I dunno." Ben shrugged. "Are we stargazing again tonight?"

"Not unless you'd like my dad to murder you." I responded. "In which case, of course!"

"I just won't fall asleep this time." Ben argued. "Problem solved."

"And when you do fall asleep?"

"…You use a Pokémon attack to make your dad forget about it." Ben decided. "Perfect, right?"

"You don't get the point." I sighed. "Unless your father miraculously managed to convince my father not to worry about us, Dad won't even want us to be alone in a room."

"Dad will solve the problem."

"You're too optimistic." I laughed. He turned to face me, and stuck out his tongue. I pretended to pout, until Ben wrapped his arms around me. I snuggled up against him. "Let's hope Jake doesn't come up here."

"Yes, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?" We both jerked up to face the speaker. "Too bad all he would find is blood and maybe a note."

"Purple Eyes!"

* * *

(Ben's POV)

No no no, what was he doing here!? I wrapped my arms protectively around Summer, pulling her closer. If that purple headed freak laid a hand on _my_ Summer, I'd kill him!

"Stay away." I growled. "What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, nothing, really. Although Edward wants _your_ head, Benjamin." Purple Eyes smirked. "It amazes me your still alive to this day. One way or another, by the end of this all, _you_ will be dead."

"No…" I heard Summer whimper quietly. I pulled her closer, and glared at Purple Eyes.

"You can do whatever you want to me, Purple Eyes. But if you hurt Summer, I don't care if I'm dead or not, I _will_ get my revenge." I hissed. "I can promise you that."

"Whatever you say." Purple Eyes chuckled. He parked his Z.Z. Flyer in the corner of the room, and walked over to us. I did the natural thing. I punched him in the face. While he was out of it, I pushed Summer towards the door.

"Go get help!" I cried. "I'll be fine!"

"But-"

"Go!" I ordered. She nodded and blinked back tears before disappearing out of the room. I turned towards Purple Eyes. E was glaring at me, and had pulled out a dagger.

"It's a shame she won't get back in time to help you." Purple Eyes sneered. "She'll just find your blood staining the floor."

"Try me." I growled. Purple Eyes lunged towards me, but I dodged out of the way. I could morph… but that could put me in more danger. In my thoughts, I hadn't noticed Purple Eyes attack again. I winced as the blade made contact with my arm, leaving a bloody gash. "That the best you got?"

"I'd kill you now, brat," Purple Eyes growled, lunging again. "But Dr. Edward wants that honor."

"Well, he won't be getting it!" I shot forward, knocking the dagger from Purple Eyes hands. Now he was defenseless, unable to harm me.

Suddenly, something grabbed me from behind. I growled as I realized it was two Pinchers. Seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my upper back, and everything went black.

* * *

(Summer's POV)

I raced downstairs as fast as could, trying to ignore the sounds of fighting upstairs. I passed a hugging Kate and Keith (I'd have to ask them about that later.) and ran straight for the Hot Springs.

"Summer, dear, what's wrong?" Mom asked me. I glanced around. Good, everyone was here. "Summer?"

"Ben! Purple Eyes got into my room while me and Ben were watching the clouds! H-he wants Ben! Ben told me to get help, we have to worry!" I cried, tears in my eyes. Latios, Jen, and Jake immediately hopped up and ran out of the room. Mom gasped, and Dad ran into the storeroom and got his knife. Darkrai narrowed his eyes, and actually started to glow black. Murph bit his lip, and typed something into his Styler. I didn't waste anymore time. I sprinted out of the room, and back upstairs. The sounds of struggling had ceased. Latios and Jake were trying to bust down the door. I pushed them out of the way, and used my powers to destroy it. Purple Eyes was right there to greet me, atop his Z.Z. Flyer.

"You're too late." He smirked, moving aside to reveal two pinchers holding an unconscious Ben. A puddle of blood was forming beneath him. I tried to race forward and get Ben, but the Pinchers flew out of reach. "Say goodbye, to your boyfriend, Ranger. Because you will never see him again."

With that, they were gone.

"BEN!" I screamed. "No! No, come back! BEN!"

I collapsed into tears, falling onto my now bloodstained floor. I watched the sky where they'd disappeared. Ben was gone. They took him. And I wouldn't be able to get him back this time.

"Ben…" Latios muttered, kneeling onto the floor. "I was supposed to protect him! Arceus, why do you hate me!? Why can't I keep my son safe!?"

"Summer…" Jake put a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away. "We'll get him back."

"He's gone, Jake." I mumbled, tears blurring my vision. "It's all my fault. I… I let him go. He's gone…"

"I should've been a better father." Latios mumbled. "It's my fault. I should've been watching or listening or something. Heck, I could've just let him die peacefully all those years ago. I've kept him alive all this time, and what has it gotten him? More suffering that's what! Now, if he dies, I'll never forgive myself."

That's when it really hit me. He _would_ die. I wouldn't be able to save him. He'd be gone, like a cool summer breeze on a hot day. Gone forever, just out of my reach.

Gone…

**A/N: Okay, you know I tried when I nearly cried writing this chapter. Keith knows. Okay. Ben's kidnapped again. Sorry. Summer's crying. Latios is crying. I completely tried to make myself a teary mess. They're too late. And I'm mad at myself, honestly, for how mean I've been to poor Benny. I need to write a oneshot, too, about Kate and Keith's little moment. It'd be cute. Until it was ruined by Ben's kidnapping. I still don't own Pokémon. I only own the torture I've put poor Ben through. Until next time, when I will hopefully not kill Ben again.**


	28. Latias to the Rescue!

(Ben's POV)

When I woke up, I was tied up again. I wasn't blindfolded this time, thankfully, so I could see my surroundings. Not that there was much to look at. A Steelhead- I think that's what they were called- guarded the door to my cell, and I could see him through the tiny window in the door. Aside from that window, no light pierced the darkness, and I could only just make out that I was the only thing in here. I struggled against the ropes again, trying to get free. No use. I sighed, and sank down in defeat. The Steelhead glanced in the window, blocking the light.

"You're awake." He stated. With that, he walked away, probably to get Purple Eyes or Edward of whoever. If I could only get to my Styler to contact Summer… but then, it wouldn't be much help anyway. I didn't know where I was.

'Ben!' My head shot up at the sound of a voice. 'Shh, don't alert anyone. It's Latias! I'm invisible!'

"Latias?" I whispered. "What are you doing here?"

'Warning you! Besides, can't I visit my own nephew?' She huffed. 'It's a good thing I found you. I can get your dad. He'll save you, for sure. If I know my brother, he'd never let anything happen to you!'

"What are you warning me of?" I hissed. "If you're just gonna chat, cn't you go get Summer and Dad?"

'Oh! Yeah, sorry.' She laughed. 'They want you for the same reason they want me and- oh, crud! I better go, here they come!'

The door slammed open, and I figured that Latias had made a run for it. A light flickered on, and I took a good look at my surroundings. I figured I was in a cellar of sorts. There was a single light bulb, hanging from a string. The floor was made of dirt, and the walls were concrete. I scowled upon seeing Edward and Purple Eyes both enter the room.

"What do you want?" I snarled. Edward glared at me. "You have no reason to keep me locked up here!"

"Oh, but Benjamin, I _do_." Edward chuckled smoothly. "Have you ever heard the legend of the Sky Fortress? It's a huge, flying, palace of sorts. It could destroy Oblivia in a single blow."

"So?" I asked. "What do you need me for?"

"Simple. The Sky Fortress needs a power source." Purple Eyes asserted. "One that is very hard to get."

"Oh, really? What's that?" I mocked. "No, wait, let me guess. A Ranger boy with spiky hair?"

"Be quiet." Edward sneered. "Actually, the power source has to be one of three things. A Latias, which we tried for, a Latios, or…"

"A child of either." Purple Eyes smirked. I froze, mind racing. Had they found out? If so, how!? "Which led us to you. We spied on you and your girlfriend long enough to find out who you father was, son of Latios."

"Why didn't you go after my dad, then?" I challenged. "Why did you automatically try and get me?"

"Simple. You're easy to get." Edward scorned. He motioned for two Steelheads to enter the room. "Untie him. It is time."

"Yes, sir." The Steelheads untied me, and yanked me to my feet. Edward and Purple Eyes exited the room, and the Steelheads dragged me after them. They weren't going to get me this easily. I kicked one of them in the leg, making him stumble and lose grip of my arm. I sung around and punched the other in the face. While they were both down, I made a run for it.

"After him, you imbeciles!" Edward yelled. "We can't let him get away!"

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, making as many sharp turns as I could to throw off my pursuers. One hallway led to another, but luckily, I hadn't run into a dead end.

'Ben!' I recognized Latias' voice. 'This way! That door right there! It leads outside. When you get out there, morph!'

"Good plan!" I grinned, pushing the doors open. I was greeted by bright sunlight… and an immense ocean. No wonder I needed to morph. If I was a normal human, I would have never escaped. But because I could morph… I glanced behind me. I could hear the Steelheads running after me. Thinking quickly, I morphed like Latias had told me to and took off across the water. Just in time, because just then, Edward, Purple Eyes, and a couple of Steelheads emerged from the door.

"You let him get away!" Edward screamed. He turned to glare at me. "We _will_ get you, boy! Mark my words! You will never be safe again!"

As I flew across the ocean, I got the feeling he was right. I escaped this time, but would I be so lucky the next?

* * *

(Summer's POV)

"Alright, troops! We have to find Ben! We don't know what Purple Eyes is planning, so we _must_ be prepared for everything!" It was Arceus' idea to summon an 'army' of people and Pokémon. Our 'army' consisted of Kate, Keith, Jake, Jen, Erin, Murph (He insisted!), Mom, Dad, Latios, Darkrai, Leanne, Kira (Whom I had gone to get from the past.), Tanvir (Same story.), Celebi, Mew, Mewtwo, Pichu, Rand, Suicune, Raikou, Entei, and Arceus (Who had promised to actually show up.). Lunick, Solona, and Kellyn were on their way with Plusle, Minun, Deoxys, and Pachirisu. We were pretty much unstoppable. Almost. I was the 'commanding officer'. Another one of Arceus' brilliant plans.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Jake huffed. "Couldn't we just go and rescue him already?"

"We must be prepared!" Murph exclaimed. He had decked himself out in full army attire: camouflage shirt, pants, jacket, hat, and a water gun. "We could be up against thousands of Pinchers! With only 30 of us!"

"As much as I hate to say it, Murph is right." I sighed. "BUT we have Arceus on our side, along with many legendaries."

'I could just summon them all.' Arceus declared. 'It'd be easier.'

"We don't want to bother them." I responded. "When Lunick and his team arrive-"

"Wait, why is it _Lunick's_ team. It should be my kid's." Darkrai exclaimed.

"Fine. When _Kellyn_ and his team arrive, we will launch our attack." I decided. "Until then, we must plan."

'Plan what?' I spun around in surprise at the familiar voice. Behind me was a shiny Latios and a Latias. 'Dude, you look like you're going to war or something!'

I gasped, realizing quickly who it was. Kate, Darkrai, and Latios did too. He gave me a cheeky grin, and I ran up and hugged him around the neck.

"Ben…" I murmured. I pulled away and smiled at him. "You escaped! On your own!"

"Haha! I knew he would! That's my boy!" Latios exclaimed, jogging over to us. "So what'd you do? Blast their secret hideout to bits? Trap them all in a force field? Teleport them to a deserted island?"

'I, uh… ran away?' Ben responded awkwardly. 'And them Latias-'

'Auntie Latias!' The Pokémon corrected. 'Did your father teach you nothing?'

'_Aunt_ Latias showed up, and told me to morph. That's how we got away.' Ben explained. 'Sorry, Dad, I'm not exactly too used to this whole half Pokémon thing yet.'

"Ah, well, that's fine." Latios chuckled. "At least you're safe."

"Hey! Sorry to break up the warm reunion, you three, but everyone's kinda confused!" Kate shouted. I glanced back at her. Oh. I forgot. Everyone was here. Latias, however, seemed unfazed.

'Humans!' She grinned. Within seconds, she was engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, there was a nineteen year old girl standing in her place. She had an outfit much like Latios', except with red markings. Her hair was a maroon color, and fell to just past her shoulders. It ended in a weird, spiked pattern. "Hi, there! Oh, Katie! Hi!"

"Lati, good to see you." Kate forced a grin onto her face, glancing at the adults, who were not only shocked, but confused. "What brings you to Oblivia?"

"Oh, I was on vacation!" She exclaimed. "Latios knows! I had to convince him to let me come. But as soon as I got here, these evil guys started coming after me! And then Summer and Ben showed up and I was like, hey, that's Latios' kid!"

"Did that Latias… just turn into a girl?" Murph squeaked. I nodded slightly, sharing an exasperated glance with Ben. "Does the other one turn human… too?"

"Of course he does, silly! This is, what, your second time turning into a Latios?" Latias turned to Ben. He nodded slightly. "Yep, and he probably should change back now."

'Why!?' Ben asked meekly. 'Maybe I _like_ being a Pokémon!?'

'Tell Latias to leave Ben alone.' Arceus sighed tiredly. 'Trust me once she's on a roll, she will literally not shut up until I tell her to or Darkrai threatens her.'

"Latias, Arceus wants you to shut up." I frowned at her. She looked blankly at me. "Or he will tell Darkrai to give you nightmares for the rest of the week."

"I'll do that anyway!" Darkrai piped in. Kate glared at him, and he shrugged. "Just saying."

"…Ben?" All eyes turned to stare at Erin. She took a hesitant step forward, before walking up to me and Ben. She put a hand on Ben's head. "Is that you, Ben?"

"Erin, are you crazy!?" Kate laughed. It was definitely forced. "That's a Latios."

"No, wait." Erin exclaimed. "I think… did you not hear the conversation earlier?"

"We all know that Latios is a strange one." Darkrai put in. "And, remember, Summer is possessed by Arceus."

'Tell Darkrai that he WILL be summoned to my place soon.' Arceus growled. 'And he will be punished.'

"Wait- but I thought you said-" Kate tackled Keith to the ground and clasped her hand over his mouth. He struggled against her grip, but soon resorted to just glaring.

"It's an exercise we do." Kate declared. "I just randomly tackle him to the ground."

"Uh…" Kate let out a convincing chuckled, then turned to glared at Keith. She stared at him for a few more minutes, and suddenly his head felt backwards. Keith was out cold.

"Oh, looks like he fell asleep!" She smirked. "Guess I win."

"Very nice, Katherine." Darkrai complimented. "You use your skills well."

"Well… um… we really should… eat something before going to rescue Ben!" Mom exclaimed awkwardly. "Who wants apple pie?"

"I do!" A chorus of agreement came from the crowd. Most everyone trickled inside. The only people left were me, Ben, Latios, Jake, Jen, Erin, Kate, Darkrai, and an unconscious Keith.

"It _is _Ben." Erin glanced at me. "Isn't it?"

"Erin, Kate's right." Jen walked over and pulled Erin away from Ben. "It's a Latios."

'I should just tell them.' Ben sighed. I glanced at him in surprise. Before I could do anything, he glowed white. Morphing. Before long, he was back to his normal self. Jake, Erin, and Jen stared in surprise. "Tada."

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Latios said. "We would've protected your secret."

"Dad, it's fine." Ben looked at the others. "Yes, I am half Latios. No, I didn't know it until a few days ago."

"Aww, does this mean I have to reveal my secret too?" Kate whined. "After I hid it for so long, too!"

"Nah, you don't have too." Darkrai chuckled. "That's completely up to you."

"Wait, is Kate a Latios too?" Jake asked in surprise. "You guys are cousins, right?"

"Sorta. Technically." Kate chuckled. "Dad's actually a Darkrai."

"Exactly." Darkrai transformed back into his normal self, and switched to telepathy mode. 'Kate uses her skills well, like I said.'

"Wait… so…Summer, we're completely human, right?" Jake looked at me for confirmation. "I like being human."

"Yes, Jake," I laughed. "Mom and Dad are both human. And they aren't to find out about it."

"They will, someday." He grinned. "When their babysitting you and Ben's kids and one of them turns into a Latios!"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "You and Jen will be babysitting so our kids can play with your kids!"

"Hey, I do not- wait a minute, you just said 'our' kids!" Jake smirked. "So you admit it! You and Ben are in _love_ and are gonna get married and have kids that me and Jen will- oh, crud."

"You admit it too! You like Jen!" I teased. "Haha!"

"I'm gonna get you, baby sis!" He growled jokingly. Our audience just laughed at our little act.

"Hey, I'll gladly babysit!" Latios volunteered. "Alto Mare's a good place for kids. Ah, it would have been nice to raise Ben there. Guess I'll have to settle for the grandkids."

"Dad!" Ben laughed. "We're only sixteen, you know!"

'Kate, I hope you know that I will NOT be having grandchildren for another ten years at least!' Darkrai declared, glaring at Keith slightly. 'Don't forget to pass on that message to your boyfriend.'

"Da-ad…" Kate moaned. "Oh, why can't I have a normal family?"

"Kids! Pie's getting cold!" I heard Mom from inside. Guess now we'd have to go in and come up with a reasonable explanation for Ben's presence. "Summer! Hurry up!"

Wonderful.

**A/N: Yay, Erin, Jen, and Jake know! More teasing Ben and Summer! Edward's plan partially revealed! School over for the day! Ben is alive! 28 chapters! So many things to celebrate! I actually updated today. Miraculous. Although, I expected more time to type at school… stupid school work. Why can't we have a do nothing day? Where I could sit down and get, like, three chapters done in one sitting. Oh, well. I hoped you all enjoyed. I still don't own Pokémon, sadly. But you probably know that. Until next time! :)**


	29. More Fun!

(Summer's POV)

The plan was simple: we walk in and say, "Guess who we found?". Then, we just show them Ben, he explains everything, problem solved. He claims that he had been riding the shiny Latios, but fell off. We had even pushed him in the ocean to make it convincing. After all, my family was bound to believe anything. Leanne was the only one who might doubt us.

"Hey, Mom, guess who we found!" I shout excitedly, gripping Ben's hand. "Come here!"

"Who is it, dear?" Mom hurried into the room. She gasped in astonishment upon seeing Ben. "Ben! You found him! Oh, the poor dear is soaking wet! Poor thing! Summer, get him some new clothes."

"Yes, Mom." Of course, that would be the first thing my mother would be worried about. Not, 'check for injuries' or even, 'is he hurt?'. No, it's, 'Make sure he's nice and warm in some new clothes.'. That was my mother for you. I brought Ben upstairs to Jake's room, and yanked open the door to his closet. "All of these clothes should fit you."

"Alright." Ben nodded. I pulled out a black t-shirt and some faded blue jeans. Ben pulled of his shirt, and I blushed and turned away.

"Here's the clothes." I mumbled. Ben grabbed the clothes, and proceeded to get changed. He tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around. My face heated up again when I noticed that he was still shirtless.

"The shirt doesn't fit." He informed me. I nodded, and glanced back into the closet. "Here, let me look."

"Okay." I moved out of the way, and Ben started looking through the closet. I couldn't help but notice a spot on his back. "You're bleeding!"

"Aw, that thing's _still _bleeding?" Ben groaned, pulling his head out of the closet. "I found a shirt that should fit."

"Shouldn't you get that looked at?" I asked worriedly. "Or at least wrap it up?"

"If you have any bandages on you, by all means!" Ben agreed sarcastically. I grinned and a roll of clean white bandages appeared in my hand. "And… Arceus' work?"

'Tell him he may thank me.' Arceus replied smugly. 'Possibly pay tribute?'

"In your dreams, Arceus." I laughed. Ben shook his head and rolled his eyes. I started to bandage his wound. "But, thank you anyway."

'You are very much welcome.' Arceus responded. 'Wait a minute… did _you_, Summer Minami just thank _me_?'

"Yes, Arceus." I smiled. "_I_, Summer Minami, just thanked _you_."

"Arceus must think he's been hearing things." Ben quipped. "You're never nice to him."

'He's right!' Arceus agreed. 'You seem to hate me sometimes!'

"But I don't." I countered. "I don't hate people. Besides Edward, of course."

"And Purple Eyes." Ben added. "And Kasa."

"Wow…" I laughed. I put the bandages down. "Alright, I'm done."

"Kay." Ben slipped is shirt on, we walked downstairs. "This will be hard to explain."

"And this time, I don't know the story." I reminded him. "So I can't help."

"Yeah…" Ben trailed off, glancing at his feet. "Edward knows."

"…Knows what?"

"About me. Being a morph."

"Oh." I looked at him. "So? What does it matter? We're just stronger than him."

"Summer… the Sky Fortress. He's found it." Ben stared at me, worry and fear dancing in his chocolate eyes. "He… it needs a power source."

"And…?" I was scared to know. Ben was getting at something important. "What does that have to do with you?"

"It uses the life force of either a Latias or a Latios… or one of their children." That's what I was afraid of. "He wants me. And I think… if does manage to get me… that…"

"You don't have to say it." I mumbled. "I know what you're going to say."

"Yeah…"

"Well, then, I guess I'll have to try harder to protect you then!" I exclaimed optimistically. "Right?"

"Wrong." Ben looked at me with total seriousness. "Summer, whatever happens, I want you to be safe. Promise me you'll stay safe. They'd have to kill me ten times over if they want to hurt you."

"You don't have to say that…" I muttered. "What does it matter if I'm hurt?"

"Trust me, it matters." Ben forced a smile. "C'mon, let's go see the others. You're mom is probably wondering what's taking us."

"Yeah, she probably is." I laughed. "We should go."

But as we walked away, I had one thought on my mind. If Ben didn't make it through the end of this mission, then neither would Edward.

* * *

Explaining went smoothly. Ben left out the whole thing about the whole life force thing. Kate glanced at him suspiciously a few times, and Darkrai (Who was back in human form.) had obviously realized something. When Ben mention the Sky Fortress, his eyes had widened in realization, then suddenly narrowed. Latios got it too. He had fear flashing in his eyes. No one else was suspicious, though.

"It's a good thing Latias is here with us, then." Leanne commented. "If they've found the Sky Fortress, they'll be looking for Latias or Latios too."

"Why?" Jen asked, sending a worried glance towards Ben. "What do they need them for?"

"The Fortress doesn't have its own power. It would run on the life force of one of the Eon Duo. Or one of their children." Leanne explained. "Since Pokèmorphs are rather rare, though-"

"Yeah, real rare." Kate snickered. One glare from her father shut her up, though. "What? I've never seen them before."

"Anyways, as I was saying, they'd go after one of the duo." Leanne concluded. "Besides, a Pokèmorph wouldn't last as long."

"Latias will go back to Alto Mare right away, then." Latios declared, narrowing his eyes at his sister. "She'd be safe there."

"Oh, come on!" Latias whined. "I can help! Besides, we both know that they're after- ow! Katie!"

"Oops, sorry." Kate smiled apologetically. I chuckled when I realized that she had kicked Latias leg under the table. "I was aiming for Jake."

"Sure you were." Latias glared jokingly. "Fine, then. I won't tell you what I know about the Pinchers' plan!"

"You know about their plan!?" Rand asked. "Tell us!"

"Don't!" Ben exclaimed. Everyone turned to him. "Me and Summer know. We'll stop them."

"Ben, let her tell us." Mom scolded. "It could be important."

"Fine." Ben conceded. He glanced at his father. "Somehow I think I'm gonna regret this."

"They aren't after me!" Latias exclaimed. "That'd be too _hard _for them. No, they're going after Ben."

"But why would they use Ben?" Dad asked. "He's human."

"Yes… why would they want _Ben_?" Leanne sent a suspicious glance our way. Ben shuffled nervously beside me, knowing that she was smart enough to put two and two together. "Well, we can't let them get him."

"Duh…" I muttered under my breath.

'Summer, you're going to have to be strong for this.' Arceus said suddenly. 'Things aren't going to turn out how you expect.'

"You can tell me that, but you can't just tell me how things actually turn out?" I grumbled. "Thanks for the help, Arceus."

'You're welcome. That's two times today!'

"I was being sarcastic this time." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You don't know what that is."

"You need to stop arguing with Arceus." Ben laughed. "Karma's gonna come back and bite you in the butt someday."

"Yeah, well." I sat down next to Kate. "Karma better be good at defending itself."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

Leanne had pretty much figured it out. I could tell. I could also tell that Summer was distressed. Probably worried that I would die again. But as long as she was safe… I didn't really care.

Dad looked about ready to just grab Latias and me and drag us to Alto Mare. Darkrai looked like he wanted to kill someone, but that was normal, so I guess I didn't need to be worried. Kate was growling like an angry Pokémon, and Latias looked rather pleased with herself.

I just love my family.

Anyway, Summer still had a tight grip on my hand. She didn't notice. Of course. And I wasn't gonna point it out to everyone. I just let her be, and focused on eating my pie with my left hand. Which is harder than it looks. I got a few curious looks from Dad and Jake, but I just mouthed 'Summer'. They both got it.

"So, Ben, should I just move your things to Summer's room?" Summer's dad asked me, smirking. "That way, Latias could room with Jen."

"D-dad!" Summer sputtered. "What are you- ugh, not you too!"

"Hey, at least it seems that your boyfriend has Dad's approval." Jake sniggered. I nearly choked on my pie at this comment. Oh, why did Jake have to make things so awkward?

"Latios and I had a little talk earlier." Summer's dad smiled. "He's a good man. And you're a fine boy, Ben. I trust you to take good care of my daughter."

"Dad, can you please let us just eat for once?" Summer moaned. She turned to me. "Can we switch families?"

"You want _my_ family?" I stifled a laugh. "I'd gladly trade!"

"Hey!" Dad exclaimed. "You'd trade me!?"

"And all the others."

"Wow…" Dad chuckled. "I would agree on some points, though. Like my sister."

"Hey!" Latias exclaimed. "No fair! I could complain, too, you know. A certain _brother_ of mine is extremely annoying."

"Oh, so we're all complaining about family now?" Rand asked. "I have a daughter who blows up kitchen appliances."

"Rand!" Leanne reprimanded. "Just because she's upstairs doesn't mean she won't hear you!"

"And you can't complain?"

"Nope."

"My older sister was extremely bossy when we were younger." Summer's mom chimed in. Summer's dad laughed.

"Jake used to steal socks from our drawers and bury them in the garden." He added. Jake blushed. "And then, he blamed it on fairies!"

"HEY! No one needed to know that!" Jake cried. "Mom used to put broccoli in my lime popsicles."

"That was your father!"

"Kellyn tried to wear a Pachirisu on his head one time." Kate grinned. "He got shocked."

"And _you_ used to wear a black dress and claim to be me." Darkrai chuckled. "It was quite funny, actually."

"Ben almost drowned himself in the pool when he was, like, three." Dad chuckled. "When my sister was babysitting."

"My _brother_," Latias sent a pointed look towards me dad. "Was flying with his son and crashed into a tree."

"Latios has a son?" Rand asked. "Hmm."

"Summer would hide in the closet during Ranger School and nearly scare me to death." I declared. Summer sent me a joking glare. "I hated it."

"Huh… what's goin' on?" We all glanced over at the door. Keith stumbled inside and took a seat next to Kate. He glared at her. "You'll be glad to know that I've awoken from my_ nightmare_."

"That's wonderful, Keith." Kate smiled. "Was it a bad one?"

"Yes."

"Good." Darkrai chuckled. "I hate boring nightmares."

"You're weird." Mew exclaimed. Darkrai glared at her. "In a good way, I mean. No big deal! Haha, I was just joking with you. No need to get angry!"

"Nice save, Mew." Latias giggled. "You would've been doomed! I've already had Arceus threatening to have him give me nightmares."

"I don't _give_ nightmares," Darkrai declared. "But I am your worst one."

"Dad, be nice." Kate scolded. "Shouldn't you be busy, anyway?"

"Yeah, now that's Ben's rescued, I think we should go home. It's getting a little crowded." Rand declared. "Leanne and I will leave after this."

"Don't forget Nema." Leanne exclaimed. "Our daughter?"

"We _have _to take her?" Rand whined. Leanne glared at him. "Fine."

"We have to get back to the past." Kira declared. "Who knows how much trouble Ravio has caused the village elder."

"Oh, yeah!" Tanvir exclaimed. "We do, don't we. Darn it, I was hoping to try the chainsaw game Summer told us about!"

"You told them about that!?" I gasped. "That was like the worst game _ever_!"

"We have to go, too." Mewtwo glared at Mew. "Before she gets a hold of any sugar."

"SUGAR!?" Mew exclaimed. "WHERE!? WHERE'S THE SUGAR!? I WANT SUGAR!"

"My point exactly." Mewtwo declared. "Best if we go now."

"NOOOOOOO! I WANT SUGAR!" Mew cried. Mewtwo got up, grabbed her arm, and started pulling her away. "NOO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I NEED SUGAR! NOOOOOOO!"

"I should get back to the Union." Murph declared. "Booker probably has it fixed by now."

"We were planning to go back to Almia tomorrow." Summer's mom glanced worriedly at Summer. "You can handle yourselves alone, right?"

"Relax, Mom." Summer grinned. "Besides, Ben's dad is here."

"Like that's a big help." Darkrai coughed. "Yes, I will be going too. Tell Kellyn I said hi. I have fear to spread."

"Bye, Dad!" Kate smiled. Darkrai got up, and walked into the wall. Literally. We all just stared at the place he had been. "What? It's the quickest form of travel, you know."

"Like Mew said, weird." Latias mumbled. "I for one will be staying."

"Lunick, Solana, and Kellyn should be here soon." Summer declared. "We kinda told Hastings it was an emergency. We didn't bother explaining either."

"Wow…" I laughed. "So they still think I'm dead?"

"Yep."

"Great."

* * *

The rest of the day passed smoothly. By the time it was dinnertime, there were only eleven of us left at the house. Still a lot of people, but less than before. There would be more of us here soon. Dad was sure that when Deoxys found out the trouble was over, he'd leave. They would be here soon.

"Alright," Summer's dad said suddenly. "We've decided on room arrangement. Kate and Keith, Erin and Jen, Lunick and Solana, Latios and Latias, and Kellyn will have his own room."

"What about me?" I exclaimed. "Where do I sleep?"

"In Summer's room, of course." Summer's mom chimed in. "Just remember to keep the skylight closed or have Summer put a force field around the house."

"Right. I'll do that, Mom." Summer muttered. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Chillaz, Sum." Keith grinned. "We've got, like, four superhuman Pokémon freaks- no offense, I don't mean that in a bad way-, all of the legendaries, and the best Ranger in the universe on our side! We'll be fine."

"Hey! You aren't the best Ranger in the universe!" Kate exclaimed. "Why do the rest of us get classified as freaks?"

"I'm just saying, so what if Edward has this super Fortress thingy? He can't even power it!" Keith frowned suddenly, and looked at Ben. "Which is why Ben goes _nowhere_ alone."

"No fair!" I whined. "Why do I have to be the target?"

"Summer! We came as soon as we could! What's up!?" I glanced towards the doorway as the sound of Kellyn's voice drifted into the room. I grinned. Prank time. I looked to Summer. She grinned back, and nodded. I turned myself invisible (Loved that trick.) and Summer explained the plan quietly to the others. They all nodded. Dad gave me a thumbs up. Soon, Kellyn, Lunick, and Solana all drifted into the room, followed by Deoxys, Pachirisu, Plusle, and Minun. Kellyn ran up and gave his sister a hug, and Keith a high five. Solana walked up and gave Summer a sympathetic hug.

"Oh, Summer, I'm so sorry about Ben." She mumbled sadly. "I know how much he meant to you."

"Dude, I just can't believe he's gone." Lunick muttered. "He was a great friend."

"Dude, I can't believe it either." I declared. Solana, Lunick, and Kellyn looked around curiously. Suddenly, Lunick and Kellyn spotted my dad.

"Uncle Latios!" Lunick exclaimed. "I- uh, what are you doing… here?"

"Wait a minute!" Keith exclaimed, looking at Kate. "You're related to Ben and _Lunick_?"

"Yes, Keith." Kate sighed. "Went over this with you."

"Is Dad here too?" Kellyn asked his twin. "Or is it just Ben's dad?"

"Dad just left. He said hi." Kate grinned. "You missed it. He actually teased me and Keith."

"No way!" Lunick gasped. "Your dad _never_ teases!"

"Seriously, and nobody else seems to care that they hear me!" I commented sarcastically. Summer stifled a laugh. "I mean, supposedly dead kid sitting here talking to you, and what do you do? Ignore him!"

"Hang on guys…" Solana looked my way. "I thought… I thought I heard Ben."

"About time." I grumbled, fading myself into view. The three newcomers gasped. "Thank you Solana, since both of my cousins seem completely ignorant of my existence."

"Hey, I wasn't being completely- you know about us being your cousins?" Lunick gasped. He glanced at Dad then back at me. "Wait a minute…"

"You aren't dead!" Kellyn exclaimed. "You can't be a ghost! I would've seen you before!"

"Nice revelation." I chuckled. "Fine, I'm not dead."

"Thanks to Mew. And Arceus." Summer added. "If it weren't for them, he'd be dead by now."

"Yep, thanks to Arceus." I snickered. Summer suddenly looked annoyed. "What'd he say this time?"

"Yep, all thanks to me. Tell your friend I appreciate his appreciation." Summer quoted, trying to imitate Arceus' voice. "Ugh, sometimes I hate that Pokémon."

"You know, I love having a best friend like you." I laughed. "Makes life more interesting."

"That's right, Summer." Jake smirked. "He _loves _you."

"Shut up." I growled jokingly. "Kate will give you nightmares if you don't."

"I will?" She asked. "Maybe I find this enjoyable."

"Traitor!" Summer cried. "How dare you support my brother!"

"HA!" Jake grinned. "Even your best friend agrees. You can thank me for the sleeping arrangements."

Summer and I exchanged looks.

"JAKE!"

**A/N: Hi! I'm back! Had to get rid of a bunch of people because, as you know Ravio disappeared sometime in chapter 23ish, and I keep forgetting Pichu. Nema disappeared, too. So they left. Tada. Problem solved. Now all I will have to deal with are Ben, Summer, Kate, Keith, Latios, Latias, Kellyn, Lunick, Solana, Jen, Erin, and Jake. Not quite as many people. Yep. Hope you all enjoyed! I still don't own Pokémon! Hope to be back soon!**


	30. Retelling the Story

(Summer's POV)

Mom and Dad had just left for Almia. They had come in and woken me and Ben up to say goodbye. We didn't bother going back to sleep. Instead, we both trudged downstairs and started breakfast. Arceus hadn't woken up yet, it seemed. I was thankful for the silence.

I pulled some bacon out of the fridge and Ben pulled out the griddle. I placed the bacon on it, and Ben turned it on. WE were the only ones awake.

"If I know Solana, she'll be up soon." I commented. Ben nodded. "And she'll wake up Lunick."

"Lunick has Minun ears." Ben said randomly. "Or, at least, that's what I was told."

"That would be quite a sight." I laughed. "You know, now the only one who doesn't know about the whole Morph thing is Solana."

"You think we should tell her?"

"We might have too." I heard an alarm from upstairs. "Oops. Forgot to tell her how loud the alarms are."

_CRASH!_

"KEITH!"

"I guess the others are up too." Ben chuckled. "That was Kate just now."

'Huh? What? Did Mew get candy again?' And Arceus was awake. 'Is everyone alive?'

"Yes, Arceus, everyone is alive." I rolled my eyes. I heard people running down the stairs. "And they're all gonna be in here soon."

"Good morning, Summer!" Keith exclaimed cheerfully, taking a seat at the table. Kate walked in behind him, glaring and soaking wet.

"He poured water on me!" She cried. "I want to room with Kellyn!"

"Aw, you know you love me." Keith grinned cheekily. "Besides, you gave me nightmares."

"It wasn't me this time, I swear!" Kate exclaimed indignantly. "It must've been Kellyn."

"Summer, Solana woke me up!" I heard Lunick whine, jogging into the kitchen. "She put the alarm on!"

"Who am I, your mother?" I joked. "You can't come crying to me."

"That's right, Luny. Can't go crying to Summer!" Solana snickered, waltzing in behind him. "The beds are comfy, by the way!"

'Can't a Pokémon get some sleep around here?' Latias. Oh, wonderful. She was in Pokémon form today. 'I mean, seriously! Does my brother _not_ understand the meaning of sleeping in?'

'I do, but I ignore it.' Cue Latios. Also in Pokémon form. 'You got to get up early if you want to enjoy life to its fullest!"

"Kinda hard to do, when you're stuck here." Ben grumbled. "Where's Kellyn?"

"Woah- ack!" Several crashes led me to believe that Kate's brother had fallen down the stairs. "I'm okay!"

"Idiot." Kate muttered under her breath. "How is he even related to me?"

"You need to put a warning before the stairs…" Kellyn groaned, walking in and rubbing his head. "Lot's of people die by falling down the stairs!"

"Actually… not that many people do…" Keith sweatdropped. "Maybe if you watched where you were going?"

"Are the others up yet?" Lunick asked. I shook my head. "So, what's the story up until this point. I mean, obviously, Ben's still alive so…?"

"Alright. We were flying over Oblivia, on our way to Renbow Island. I flew ahead, and ran into some Pinchers. I fought them off and almost made them retreat, then this dude named Red Eyes," I noticed Kate, Keith, and Ben shooting me curious looks, I shrugged. "He showed up, and tried to shoot Ben out of the sky. I, of course, blocked him, and plummeted into the ocean."

"Red Eyes took me captive." Ben declared. "I thought Summer was dead, for sure. I was… well, horrified. They locked me up in a cell, and put Erin on guard."

"Good thing, too." I laughed. "Anyway, I washed up on Dolce Island and Booker found me. That was where I met Ukulele Pichu, whom I really need to teleport here. So, I found out that there were Pinchers at… uh, Rasp Cavern. I went after them, but they got away. Later, I went to the Stone of Time and met Celebi, who proceeded to kidnap me and take me to the past. That's where I met Ravio, Kira, and Tanvir. I was quickly sent back, and I went to find Rand. I met up with Nema, his daughter, and she took me to her house. I had to put out a little fire, then I went to find Rand. I ran in to him at the top of Wireless Tower. A Pincher leader named Blue Eyes was up there, along with Erin. We defeated them, and then Raikou showed. I captured him with my Styler, and an Emblem appeared."

"Meanwhile, Red Eyes had told me that it Summer was in fact alive." Ben grinned. "I was elated. Erin and I started chatting, and she told me how she never wanted to be a Pincher, but she stuck with her sister."

"Jen, right?" Lunick asked. Ben nodded.

"Right. But I didn't know that at the time." He replied. "It was nice to have someone to talk to, though."

"Later on, me and Rand went after a couple of Pinchers. We ran into Red Eyes." I continued. "He told me… he claimed that Ben was dead. And, of course, I believed him. I was heartbroken. We went back to Rand's and Nema rigged my Styler so I could call Raikou. The next day, we decided to head to Tilt Village. We ran into Erin on the way, and she told us that Blue Eyes was at Amun's mansion. Then she explained that Red Eyes had rigged the bridge to explode. We ran back across, and I called Raikou to get across the bridge. And he talked to me."

"He _talked_ to you?" Solana asked, skeptically.

"Was he annoying?" Kellyn snickered. "Or boring?"

"Boring."

"Back to me!" Ben exclaimed. "A little before this, Erin and her sister had devised a brilliant plan to get me rescued. They'd get Blue Eyes kidnapped and Red Eyes would have to make a trade. Me for his partner."

"That leads up to me running into Murph. I told him what Red Eyes told me. We both headed off to Amun's mansion, and, sure enough, Blue Eyes was there. We captured her, and took her back to the Union. Pretty soon, we found out her real name."

"What was it?" Lunick asked eagerly. "I hope it was something stupid."

"Jen." Ben and I exclaimed at the same time. Lunick, Kellyn, and Solana stared in surprise.

"Yep, I learned that both Jen and Erin knew my mom, and actually helped raise me when I was younger." Ben explained. "There was an, er, incident that happened that made me forget."

'I should have been there.' Latios mumbled. 'I completely blame Ho-oh."

"Dad don't worry." Ben chuckled. "It's all fine now."

"Wait a minute… Ben… did you just call the Latios _'Dad'_?" Solana asked, glaring at him. "Are you hiding something?"

"Let us finish the story!" Ben avoided the question deliberately, and continued with his story. "The plan worked, obviously. Red Eyes traded me out for Jen, but, of course, he set a bunch of Voltorbs to explode around us. I automatically protected Summer, but…"

"He got hurt in the process." I finished. "I brought him back to Rand on Entei, whom I had run into before, and we called Doctor Edward. Unfortunately, as it turns out, he has a bit of a… grudge against Ben."

"Remember the incident I mention?" Ben reminded everyone. I winced, remembering what Kasa had said. 'You should've died years ago, boy. But you won't get out of it this time.' Edward was really out to get Ben. "Yeah, that was him. He put me in a coma, apparently, for a month. I think… I think Dad kept me alive."

'That's right, son!' Latios exclaimed proudly. 'I kept a look out for you.'

"Thanks, Dad." Ben flashed Latios a smile, before continuing. "Well, he… killed me."

"What!?" Solana got to her feet. "But… you're alive! How… you couldn't have _died_!"

"Well, I did." He replied. His eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't quite place. Sadness? Remembrance? Pain? I didn't know. "He gave me something that looked a lot like medicine. Next thing I know, I can't breathe. I remember Leanne and Rand coming in to check on me. And the pain in my chest… like I was drowning. Then… I don't know, everything went black. There was… nothingness. Then, suddenly, I see a bright light and I'm looking right at Summer."

"Yeah, right about then was when I discovered the egotistical idiot possessing my brain. You know, he's been rather quiet." I commented. "I think he fell asleep again."

"Well, he is rather old-"

'BENJAMIN NATSUYA, DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME OLD AGAIN!' I winced as I heard Arceus shouting in my head. 'I MAY BE OLDER THAN YOU, BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY RIGHT TO-"

"He can't hear you." I pointed out. Ben stifled a laugh. "Yeah, he heard that old comment. And he's not happy."

"Sorry…"

"Anyways, as I was saying, when Edward told us that Ben wouldn't make it, Celebi ended up kidnapping again. Ravio came up with the brilliant idea to have Celebi transfer some of her powers to me. Strangely enough, Arceus showed up." I explained.

"Did he yell at you?" Lunick groaned. "I hate it when he's mad."

"No. He just decided to possess my brain." I chuckled. "Next thing I know, I'm back at Rand's. I run down to Ben, but… I was too late. And then I hear Arceus telling me that I could still save him. Which I did, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I also discovered that Arceus is and stupid, annoying, self-center, dimwitted, crazy-"

"Summer, we get it, Arceus annoys you!" Kate laughed. Everyone else in the room, save for Ben, Kate, and Keith, stared in surprise.

"Yes, I just insulted Arceus." I confirmed. "Get used to it."

"But- you can't…" Lunick stuttered.

'Oh, yes she can.' Arceus grumbled. 'As much as I hate it…'

"Back to the story!" Ben exclaimed. "So, we pranked Rand. Nema tried to fix my Styler. We teleported to the Union, and _somebody_ landed us in the water."

"Not my fault!" I defended. "But yes, we ran into Murph, accidentally pranked him too. So he pranked us back. And I have yet to get back at him for that. I need to. We ran into Edward again, and he asked me to get his jacket. I gladly complied."

"Meanwhile, he told us that Red Eyes' sister was dead. Erin- who had shown up, by the way- got all angry at him, but Summer came back. Erin led us to the Pinchers' base, which just so happened to be a submarine. We got in, and I told Summer to go get Pichu. She left, and we told Jen the news." Ben continued "Summer returned earlier than expected. She was _mad_ when she found out someone wanted to kill me. Jen quit, and then Red Eyes ran in. When he found out about his sister, he quit too. Then Edward crashed the sub and set it to explode. Summer hit her head, and Erin had assumed that she was dead. Apparently, Celebi saved her. While she was unconscious, I found out who Red Eyes really was. Then Summer woke up, and things went pretty smoothly. We found a bunch of Pichu, and helped to rescue them. We all got out, and then I realized that we were one Pichu short."

"He went back for it, of course." I grumbled. "I should've used my superpowers."

"Again, not your fault, Summer!" Ben argued. "Anyway, I went back for it, and got it out. But I was trapped. There was no way out. The sub… exploded. I thought I was done for. I vaguely remember slamming up against the rubble, and a horrible pain in my shoulder and back. I remember not being able to breathe again, and my vision going hazy as I watched the water around me turn red. Then… there was a pink _bubble_ around me. And a little girl's voice saying, 'Don't worry! I've got you, Benny! This is fun!' I guess I passed out after that, because when I woke up, I was still in the forcefield, but trapped under all sorts of rubble. I managed to push it away, and get the help of a Mantike. At one point, I think a Sharpedo got a hold of my leg… but, next thing I know, I've washed up on a beach."

"I was horrified when the sub exploded." I added, still a bit surprised at Ben's side of the story. "Red Eyes tried to comfort me, but I ignored him Then he yelled at me, and revealed that he was my older brother, Jake."

"Wait, _Jake_ was Red Eyes?" Keith nearly choked on his drink. "That's news."

'Your ranger friend is stupid.' Arceus commented. I stifled a laugh. 'It's true!'

"Yeah, I agree, Arceus." I chuckled. "Totally with you on this one. Anyway, Murph sent Hastings a note, and Celebi kidnapped me again. Got to blow up more doors, yippee. When I got back to the present, Kate had arrived. We went back to Booker's, and Murph got randomly called on a doctor mission or whatever."

"That was me." Ben declared. "I knew Murph had a doctor's degree."

"Yes. Anyway, he calls us, and tells us that Ben was still alive. So, we all rush over there. This lady named Kasa was letting him stay at her place. Well, a bit later, we find out that Kasa was with Edward. We fled here, and hung out for a while."

"You forgot about when I met Dad!" Ben exclaimed. "I passed out, and next thing I know, I'm in Alto Mare talking to this weird guy in a trench coat."

'I'm not weird!' Latios whined. 'I'm normal!'

"Keep telling yourself that, Uncle. Just keep telling yourself." Kellyn chuckled. "Maybe one day it'll be true!"

"He explains everything, including how it turns out that I'm not completely human!" Ben grinned, and looked at Latios. "My dad is Latios. The legendary Pokémon."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

"No way!" Solana gasped. She looked at Lunick. "Can you believe it?"

"Very well, actually." He muttered. "Since Ben _is_ my cousin."

"Does that make you half Pokémon too?" Solana asked. "And Kate and Kellyn?"

"Yep! Me and Kell are half Darkrai, and Lunick is half Deoxys and one-fourth Minun." Kate grinned proudly. "We're awesome!"

"Back to the story!" Summer exclaimed. "Okay, so we ended up having to rescue Leanne and Nema- that's when Keith came, and I made him dress up like a trainer and challenge Purple Eyes to a gym battle."

"You made him challenge _who_ to a _what_!?" Kellyn sputtered. He started laughing. "Oh, that is priceless! I wish I could've seen it!"

"I have pictures!" Kate exclaimed in a singsong voice. Kellyn grinned, and Keith just glared at her. "Blackmail!"

"Later on, Purple Eyes came to kidnap me again." I declared, continuing the story. "I told Summer to go get help. She listened, and Purple Eyes attacked me. He managed to knock me out, and I was brought to their new hideout. I found out their plan, which, as usual, involved me getting killed. With Latias' help, I escaped. And now, here we are. Safe and sound!"

_Crash!_

"JAKE, GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

"AAAH, DON'T KILL ME!"

"JACOB!"

I heard the sound of running, and pretty soon Jake burst into the room, clutching what looked a lot like Jen's normal outfit. He looked around, and hid behind Dad. "Hide me quick! I stole her clothes!"

"Jake!" Summer reprimanded. Dad just grinned, and shook his head. Pretty soon, Jen burst into the room, wearing light pink pajamas.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, JACOB!" She screamed. Jake let out a little whimper, and jumped up. "YOU IDIOT!"

"Gotta go, bye!" Jake exclaimed. He sprinted out of the room, Jen right on his tail. We all just stared after him. "AAH, NO, NO! BACK! GET BACK! WHOA!"

_Splash!_

"That'll teach him." I heard Erin chuckle. I turned to see her walking in the room. "He really shouldn't have done that."

"Boys are idiots." Solana chuckled. "No offense, Lunick."

"Er… none taken?"

'Ooh! Can I push him in a pool next!?' Latias grinned. 'It sounds like fun!'

And, so… life returns to a fairly normal state. For now.

**A/N: Finally! Done! Most of this chapter was a boring retelling of the story. And then Jake stole Jen's clothes. And she pushed him into the pool. XD Still don't own Pokémon. Still sick of school. Still hoping for an A on that test. Well, no need to bore you! Hope you enjoyed! CHAPTER 30, PEOPLE! WHOOOO!**


	31. Disaster!

(Ben's POV)

The next half of the day passed rather smoothly. Jake had, sure enough, walked in soaking wet. Summer, of course, had laughed in his face. Dad made a comment about how obvious it was that Jake like Jen. Jake's face went bright red, and he started stuttering and suddenly became preoccupied with his food. Jen blushed as well, but she brushed it off. I could see the disappointment on Jake's face when she did that. Lunick made some comments about the sleeping arrangements, asking why Summer and I were rooming together. Then it was our turn to be embarrassed. Summer followed her brother's example and focused on her food. I kinda just sat there stuttering excuses. Latias ended up saying that it really didn't matter. I was thankful for her help… until she started teasing us.

By the time lunch came, we were all bored out of our minds. Solana had suggested swimming, which Kellyn hastily declined. Kate wanted to run around Oblivia scaring people, but Keith reminded her that we were kinda on hideout. Keith himself wanted to explore more of the house. Jen proposed watching a movie, and Erin came up with the idea to play hide-and-seek. Latias wanted to have a race, and Dad wanted to go flying. Summer thought we could hold a talent show. The author-

**I will tell you what I told Summer. No breaking the fourth wall! Or else **_**Summer**_** gets to die!**

Okay, not the author.

**That's better. Continue.**

_I_ had decided against the idea, mostly because I had no talent. So I vetoed the idea. Lunick came up with the winning plan: 'Team Prank War'. The rules were simple: as long as it wouldn't kill or injure anyone with anything worse than a bruise or a paper cut, you could do anything to those on the opposing teams. Summer, Erin, and I were on one team. The other teams were with Kate, Keith and Kellyn, Lunick, Solana, and Dad, and Jake, Jen, and Latias. We each got a 'secret hideout'. Summer made ours her room. Right now, we were coming up with plans.

"Okay, we should go for the Almians." We had strategically come up with code names for each group. The 'Almians' were Kate, Keith, and Kellyn. Lunick, Solana, and Dad were the 'Blues' (Erin came up with that one!). Jake, Jen, and Latias were dubbed the 'Crazies'. "Avoid Kate and Kellyn's Dark Voids, and we should be fine."

"Why not go for the Crazies?" Erin suggested. "They're easy to target."

"Yes, but they have Latias." I reminded her. "And the Blues have Dad."

"We should start with something simple." Summer grinned evilly, and suddenly there were three water balloons in her hands. "Water balloons, anyone?"

"Great plan, Summer." Erin grinned. We each took one, and snuck out of the room. Now to find the Almians…

"The hot springs." Summer whispered. "If I know Kate, that's where they'll be."

We silently ran, Summer in the lead, to the back door. We slid it open, and Summer directed us to a wall. She made stairs appear (How does she do these things?), and we climbed to the top. Sure enough, Kate, Keith, and Kellyn were chatting and relaxing in the hot springs. Kellyn was sitting on some rocks, sketching a map in the sand. Keith and Kate were both in the water, watching him. I glanced towards Summer and Erin, and they both raised their water balloons. I followed thweir example, and we flung the balloons at the unsuspecting teens below us. The water balloons hit their mark, and the three shouted in surprise. We scampered down the wall, and Summer destroyed the stairs. We sprinted back to her room.

"Yes!" Summer grinned. "We did it!"

"BOO!" Summer's closet was flung open, and the girls screamed in surprise. I stumbled backwards, and into Summer. We both fell to the ground. Pretty soon, we heard the familiar laughter of Dad, Solana, and Lunick.

"We totally got you!" Lunick laughed. "You should have seen your faces!"

"Oh, shut up, Bunny Ears." I growled. Lunick frowned at me. Solana just laughed, and stuck out her tongue. Beside me, Summer was readying some Pokémon attack. Dad noticed, and quickly pulled the two Rangers out of the room.

Summer grinned evilly. "Guess who we're pranking next?"

* * *

Finding the Blues' hideout was simple. I had automatically guessed that Dad would use Alto Mare. Summer transported us there, and sure enough, I had caught sight of Solana getting ice cream.

"You guys looking for someone?" We all spun around. A girl maybe a little younger than us was behind us. HE hair was designed kinda like Latias' ears. "My name's Bianca."

"Yeah, we're looking for Latios!" Erin exclaimed automatically. "We're on a special mission to find him!"

"You want Latios?" The girl recoiled, than glared at us. "What do you want with him!?"

"Long story short, we have a score to settle." Summer held up a paint gun. "I wonder how much he'd like being painted neon pink?"

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I said I was gonna get him! You have Solana!"

"Fine." Summer pouted. Bianca- I think that was her name- looked at us strangely. "We're having a prank war. Latios happens to be on the opposing team."

"A prank war?" Bianca grinned suddenly. "Alright. He should be in the Secret Garden. I'll lead you to him."

"How do you know Latios?" Erin asked. "You know, you kinda look like Latias. You don't happen to be related, do you?"

"Related?" Bianca laughed. "No. But I've known her and Latios since I was a baby. Speaking of looking like them, you kinda look like Latios."

"I- uh, well… I didn't know that." I lied. "Coincidence?"

"Must be." Bianca stopped at a shed looking thing, and opened the door. She pointed to a closet. "Right through there."

"Thanks, Bianca!" Summer grinned. She just nodded, smiled, and ran off. Summer grinned, and looked at me. "I can shapeshift! I'll make myself look like Bianca!"

"Good plan." I nodded. "What do we do?"

"You can shapeshift too, dimwit!" Summer exclaimed. I glanced at her in surprise. "Make yourself look like… I dunno, that guy!"

Summer pointed to a picture on the wall. It was a boy with black hair, and a Pikachu. A trainer, I guessed. One of Bianca's friends?

"Um… oka-" I stopped. "How?"

"Just think about it!" Summer groaned. "Apparently, that's how things work."

"Okay." So, I thought about it. Focus, focus, focus…

"It worked." I opened my eyes. Summer looked just like Bianca. She sounded like her too.

"Cool!" I grinned. Huh, my voice sounded weird too. Summer glanced at Erin.

"Hey, Erin?" Erin looked up. "How would you like to be a Pikachu?"

"Uh-" Before Erin could protest, she was engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, there was a Pikachu in her place. "Summer!"

"It'll work. Just get on Ben's shoulder, like in the picture." Summer ordered. Erin frowned, but did as she was told. "Perfect."

"Well, let's go!" Summer pushed the door open. Sure enough, Dad, Solana, and Lunick were in there. Dad was in Pokémon form. "Hi, Latios!"

'Hey, Bianca. I just scared the heck out of my son!' He grinned. Lunick snickered, and Solana rolled her eyes. I realized that he was using telepathy. 'Oh, hey, it's that Ash kid! Hey, there! Surprised to see me?'

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Very surprised!" I exclaimed. "It's been a while."

'Especially since you thought I died last time.' Dad chuckled. I would have to ask him about that. He switched out of telepathy. "Hey, Pikachu! How are you? Doing good in training, I guess?"

"Oh, yeah, real good!" Erin grinned. "I have the best _trainer_ in the world."

"You two talking, Pikachu?" I laughed, pretending I couldn't understand either of them. "Wish I knew what you were saying, buddy."

"Ash, it's been a while! Nice to see you again." Solana greeted, walking up to me. "Since the Riolu incident, I think?"

"Uh-huh." I agreed, unsure of what to say. So Solana knew this Ash kid too? "How are you?"

"Good. My friends in Oblivia are having a prank war with us. It was Latios' idea to come here." Solana shook her head. "I don't see how my friend Ben can be so lighthearted, though. There are some people who'd like nothing more than to kill him."

"Oh, man, that's horrible!" I cried, pretending to not already know that. "Right, Pikachu?"

"Totally!" Erin responded. She nodded. "Why would someone do that?"

"Relax, Pikachu. Ben can take care of himself. Besides, he has his girlfriend." Dad chuckled. I struggled to keep my face from going red. Lunick snickered.

"So, where's Latias?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Erin noticed this, and stifled a laugh. "She with your friends?"

"Yep." Lunick grinned. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lunick."

"Ooh, are you Solana's boyfriend?" Payback. I grinned as they turned bright red. "Haha, you are!"

"No!" Solana denied. "Ash, stop teasing us!"

"Maybe if they teased him about Misty." Latios grinned, directing the statement to Erin. "Then he'd shut up."

"Oh, yes, Misty." Erin replied. So, this Ash kid had a girlfriend. Too bad Summer was disguised as Bianca… wait a minute, I did not just think that!

"How's Brock?" Solana asked. "Is he still traveling with you?"

"Uh… yeah…" I responded, completely clueless. "He is."

'Is he here?' Dad asked, switching to telepathy. 'He was a funny kid.'

"You got that right, Latios." Solana laughed. "He kept hitting on me!"

"Well, that's Brock for you." I said unsurely. "Yep."

"Hey, uh, Ash!" Summer exclaimed suddenly. "Show Latios the cool paint gun Misty got you!"

Oh, haha, very funny Summer.

"Oh, yeah!" I said instead. I pulled my paint gun out of my bag. "Isn't it neat!?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lunick laughed. "Cool!"

"Misty got Pikachu one, too!" I declared, pulling out another one and handing it to Erin. She nearly fell of my shoulder trying to get a hold of it, but she got a grip.

"Cute!" Solana cooed. "Does Bianca have one?"

"Yep." Summer pulled out her own paint gun. "Ready, guys."

"Ready." Me and Erin grinned. The three others looked confused- until they got blasted with paint. By the time we were done, Dad was bright pink, Solana was neon yellow, and Lunick was lavender. Summer morphed back into her normal self. I followed her example, laughing, and Summer changed Erin back.

"GOT YOU!" We yelled through our laughter. Solana glared.

"JUST YOU WAIT, OBLIVIANS! JUST YOU WAIT!"

* * *

(Summer's POV)

"They totally fell for it!" Erin laughed. "Great plan, Summer!"

"Thanks." I sat down on the bed, and opened the skylight. "Now, _that_ cloud looks like a dog."

Ben glanced upward. "No, it looks like a Kadabra!"

"Déjà vu." We both burst into laughter. Erin stared at us strangely, but we ignored her. "You know, my flower still looks like a fish."

"It's a flower!" Ben argued. "We went over this!"

"Yeah, and then you almost kissed me." Ben froze, face bright red. HE turned away muttering what sound like an apology. "Relax, I'm just teasing."

"Okay, I'm obviously missing something." Erin chuckled. "Tell me, what happened?"

"That's not important right now, my dear Erin." We spun around. I had forgotten the force field! I immediately stepped in front of Ben as Purple Eyes landed his ZZ Flyer. "I'm back."

"Purple Eyes, get out of here!" Erin growled. "You aren't getting Ben!"

"Oh, don't you worry." Purple Eyes smirked, and suddenly both Ben and Erin were knocked to the ground, trapped by nets. "I'm not here for Ben."

"Wha- hey!" I gasped in surprise when two Pinchers grabbed my arms. Another one came and tied a rope around me and a gag around my mouth. "Mmph!"

"Summer!" Ben cried. "Let her go!"

"If you want your girlfriend back, come to the Sky Fortress." Purple Eyes smirked. My eyes widened he was using me as hostage! "You know what we want."

Ben looked pained as the Pinchers yanked me onto a ZZ Flyer, and flew off. I looked back at my house, now reciding into the distance. I just hoped Ben would have the common sense not to listen.

* * *

(Ben's POV)

"SUMMER!" I struggled harder against my net, trying to get free. "HELP! JEN! KATE! SOMEBODY!"

"What's going on!?" Jen rushed into the room, followed by Jake and Latias. Kate, Kellyn, and Keith came soon after. "Ben!"

"Oh no…" Kate muttered. Jen and Jake pulled the nets off of us, and pulled us to our feet. "Ben, Erin, what happened? Where's Summer?"

"Purple Eyes took her." Erin growled. "The worthless, good-for-nothing, son of a-"

"Erin, why would Purple Eyes want Summer?" Jake asked, interrupting whatever else Erin had planned to call Purple Eyes.

"Hostage." She replied. "Edward still wants Ben."

"I'm going." I declared. Jen and Latias both stared at me, horrified. "I promised Summer that I would keep her safe. I'll give myself up. I don't care if I die… but, no matter what… stop Edward. Don't let him win. Promise me."

"Ben, I…" Jen trailed off, looking at the ground. A single tear dripped off her face. "I promise."

I morphed, and flew out the skylight. Looking back, I could still see the others staring after me sadly. I shook my head, and focused on flying away. Towards Edward, towards Summer… towards my inevitable death. I would do anything if it meant keeping Summer safe. I just didn't expect it to come to this.

"I'm sorry, Summer." I whispered, the Sky Fortress coming into view. "I'll do whatever it takes. I promise."

**A/N: Sitting here writing this just about made me cry! Probably because I'm listening to some really sad music that seems to make me near tears every time I hear it. SUMMER! WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH MY HEAD? Oh, wait, there's some happy music! :) I hope you like the chapter… *Holds up shield* Please don't kill me for doing this! Now you probably don't want me to own Pokémon! *Peeks over shield* Until next time!**


	32. The Sky Fortress

(Ben's POV)

I landed on the beach near the hideout. Let's see, right was towards the hideout… so I wanted to head left. I turned that way and started walking. I knew I had hurry, because as soon as Dad found out, he'd be here to stop I started running. Pretty soon, I came upon a weird fortress thingy half buried in the ground. Yep. Just what I was looking for. There was a door, so I opened it and stepped inside. It was pretty eerie. And quiet. Too quiet…

"Hello, Benjamin." I spun around. Edward. "I see you came."

"Yes." I responded dully. "Now where's Summer."

"Bring her out." Two Pinchers entered another room, and brought Summer outside. She had a long cut down her arm, but otherwise she was untied and ungagged her. She ran over to me. The door slammed shut, and I realized they had locked us in. "I'll leave you alone for a few minutes, to say goodbye."

With that he left. I locked eyes with Summer.

"You can't do this." She whispered. "Please, they'll kill you!"

"I have to." I thought for a second, then pulled a dagger out of my pocket and handed it to Summer. She glanced at me in surprise. "Stop them before they can get this thing up in the air."

"Ben, you don't mean…" She trailed off, knowing fully what I meant. Her hands started shaking, and she looked like she was about to drop the dagger. "Ben, I can't."

"It's the only way." I replied. I bit my lip. I wouldn't be escaping this time… but I could stop Edward from reaching his goal. "He'll destroy Oblivia, maybe even the world! You have to stop him. Send Dad and Latias to Alto Mare and take me out of the picture, he'll have no choice but to give up."

"Ben-"

"You have to Summer!" I cried. "Please, before he comes back. I'm going to die either way."

"I-I…" She bit her lip, her eyes glistening with tears. "You aren't gonna die!"

"Don't you see?" I exclaimed. "There's no way for me to escape this time! Don't say you can teleport us out of this, because that isn't gonna help. We can't keep hiding. We were sent here to save Oblivia. And if my death is the only way to accomplish that… well, so be it."

"No…" She mumbled. "That can't be… There has to be another way! There's always another way!"

"Summer…" I looked her in the eye. "What's more important, me or the world?"

"I wish it could be you…" She muttered. "Alright…"

"Save the world, Summer…" I whispered, closing my eyes as Summer reluctantly held up the dagger. I heard her let out a choked sob. This was the only way.

"HEY!" My eyes snapped open as I heard the door slam open. Edward and Purple Eyes rushed in, and Purple Eyes knocked the dagger out of Summer's hand, pushing her to the ground.

"So you think you can stop me, huh?" Edward asked, grabbing my arm. He threw me against the wall, and I let out a groan. "I should've known. Purple Eyes, escort the girl out of here."

I locked eyes with Summer again as Purple eyes yanked her to her feet. Her eyes gleamed with fear and sadness. I turned away. Edward grabbed my arm again, and pulled me out of the room. He dragged me down a narrow hallway, until he reached a red door. He typed in a code, and it opened. Inside was a glass cage like thing. Edward pushed me inside and slammed the door. Then, he exited.

I heard strange beeping noises from all around me, and a deep humming noise. I couldn't get rid of the sense of foreboding.

Suddenly, I saw several bright lights forming on the walls and ceiling of the cage. Beams shot forward from them, and connected with my body, lifting me into the air. I let out an agonized scream as more and more beams connected wit my body. It felt like someone was ripping me to shreds… Suddenly, the beams intensified. I let out one last scream, before everything went black.

* * *

(Summer's POV)

Purple Eyes led me outside, and left me on the beach. Then he left. Moments later, I caught sight of the Sky Fortress rising into the air. Ben…

I sat there for what felt like ages until the others showed up. Latios saw me alone, and immediately realized what had happened. Kate ran up to comfort me, along with Solana. Suddenly, I got to my feet.

"We have to stop Edward!" I declared. "Latios, can you get me up there?"

'Of course, Summer.' The Pokémon agreed. 'Hop on.'

"Arceus, I need you to call reinforcements." I ordered. "Lots of them."

'On it.'

"The rest of you, wait for the reinforcements, and then meet us up there." I finished, with a glare at Kate. "I don't know how much time we have."

I climbed on Latios, and we flew off towards the Fortress. Towards Ben. We landed on a ledge near a door. I walked inside, and looked around. I could hear the sounds of Pinchers everywhere, and the sounds of Pokémon. And… something else.

'Well, this is a depressing place.' Latios commented. I nodded. We walked through a narrow hallway, on the lookout for Steelheads.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" Speak of the devil. I glared at the Steelhead, and knocked him on the head. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. We continued on until…

"Well, well, well… look what we have here?" I narrowed my eyes when I saw the speaker. "The Pokèmorph's girlfriend and his daddy come to rescue him. How cute."

"Hocus." I growled. He was a shady magician from my hometown, who always seemed to cause trouble. His being here did not surprise me in the slightest. "Where is Ben?"

"Hmm… let me think… not telling." He sneered. Suddenly, the world around us changed from the interior of the Fortress to clouds. "Do you like my illusion, Summer?"

"I don't." I growled in response. "Knock it off, Hocus!"

"Why should I?" He asked. "I have all the time in the world. Your little friend doesn't. But Edward will be done destroying Oblivia by the time his life source runs out."

'It won't be running out!' Latios cried, shooting a Aura Sphere at Hocus. He dodged easily. 'You little-'

"He had a good plan, I'll admit." Hocus smirked. "Shame you were too weak. You could've protected all of Oblivia if you had just killed him."

"I couldn't kill my best friend!" I snarled. "He means the world to me."

"Well, he would've died either way." Hocus shrugged. "Although this is more painful."

"He won't die!" I yelled. Latios looked at me in surprise. I glared at Hocus, and held out my hands. "Hyperbeam!"

"Wha- AAAHH!" He certainly wasn't expecting that. The hyperbeam hit him spot on, and he was knocked out. The illusion faded, and we were back in the Fortress.

'Nice.' Latios complimented. I nodded my appreciation, and continued running down the hallway. If I could find Ben in time…

"If it isn't miss Summer." Kasa. We whipped around to face her. Not another distraction… "Welcome to the Sky Fortress, dear."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I growled. Kasa laughed. "We have to be going."

"Oh, but don't you want to stay and chat?" Kasa requested. We just turned around and continued walking, until… "Summer?"

"What now!?" I groaned twisting around. I felt a twinge of relief when I saw that it was Kate. "Oh, hi Kate."

"You okay?" She asked. Strange… she should know. "Where's Ben?"

"I already told- you're not Kate." I growled. 'Kate' laughed.

"Of course I am, silly. I was just messing with you." She replied. "Besides, who else would I be?"

'Kate, repeat what I say.' Latios ordered. Smart plan. 'Kate Shadows loves Keith Dazzle.'

"So, Summer, I found a way to the main base!" She hadn't heard him. "C'mon!"

"You. Aren't. Kate." I fumed. She looked at me in surprise. "You would've been able to understand Latios!"

"Hmm, so you've figured me out." 'Kate' rolled her eyes. "Shame. It would've worked too, if it hadn't of been for the Latios."

'Kasa.' Latios snarled. 'I should have known.'

"Well, now that I've managed to waste your precious time, I must be going. Ta-ta." With that, Kasa was gone. I glared after her for a second, before racing forward again. Pretty soon, I reached a dead end.

"Crud." I muttered. I looked at Latios. "Should I blast it?"

'Sure.' He shrugged. I nodded and focused. Pretty soon, I heard an explosion that shook the whole hallway. I opened my eyes, and grinned at the pile of rubble where the wall use to be. 'Bravo.'

"C'mon." I stepped over the rubble. The wall led to a room. I noticed a door on the other side, and suddenly, a man stepped out of the shadows. I recognized him from Cocona.

"Most people use the door, you know." He laughed heartily. "The name's Arley."

"Here to distract us?" I growled. Arley just grinned. "Cause I'll have you know that Hocus is probably still unconscious from when we ran into him."

"Relax, I'm a friend." He was lying. I could tell. "I infiltrated the Fortress."

'I don't believe one word of it.' Latios snarled. 'I don't trust anyone here. These people took my son.'

"Your friend there looks mad." Arley commented. "Tell him he doesn't need to worry. This Fortress won't have enough power to take out all of Oblivia."

"How do you know that?" I challenged. "Besides, we really must be going."

"To find your friend, right?" Arley asked. I nodded hesitantly. "I could lead you to him. Unfortunately, you won't be able to get in. The doors are locked tight, and Pokémon proof."

"Yeah, thank you for that useless little piece of info." I declared sarcastically. "We can find it ourselves, thank you."

"No, no, I insist. Come with me!" Arley wouldn't take no for an answer. He opened the door and walked forward. "Come."

'I detest this. We shouldn't be following him. It could be a trap.' Latios grumbled. 'If we both die, I blame you.'

"Whatever, Latios." We followed Arley down a narrow hallway, and up to a red door. It seemed quite ordinary. But something caught my attention. I could hear the sounds of screaming inside.

"BEN!"

* * *

(Arceus' POV) **Surprise!**

I headed towards Kanto right after Summer had told me what to do. Usually, I detested such a thing. But this was Summer. I would need to get used to it.

I found Mewtwo and Mew first, hanging out in Pallet Town. They were at Ash's house, no surprise, and they were arguing. Delia watched them, amused. I sometimes admired the young mother. She had gone through a lot in her lifetime, losing her husband and watching her go on his Pokémon journey.

"Mew! Mewtwo!" I called. They looked up. Mew grinned, and flew up to me as I lowered myself to hover a little off the ground. Delia came over to greet me.

"Hello, Arceus." She smiled. "How are you?"

'Well, Delia.' I responded telepathically. 'And you?'

"I'm good." She glanced at Mew and Mewtwo. "They were arguing. What brings you here?"

'I am getting reinforcements.' I replied bluntly. 'Some idiots in Oblivia kidnapped Latios' son, and are trying to take over the world.'

"Oh, my." Delia gasped. "Well, good luck!"

'Oh no, Benny got kidnapped _again_!?' Mew cried. 'Well, we gotta help him!'

'And off she goes.' Mewtwo sighed as Mew zipped off. 'Bye, Delia. Say hi to Ash for me.'

"I will." She waved. Delia then turned to me. "You'd better hurry! I guess you don't have time for cookies…"

'Ah, unfortunately not.' I sighed. 'Bye.'

I flew off, thinking. The Legendary Bird Trio would be in Oblivia. So, I headed to Johto to get Lugia and Ho-oh. If Ho-oh would help. I went to Lugia's first. As soon as I landed by his cave, I was greeted by his over eager daughter, Megan.

"Hiya, Grandpa!" She exclaimed. I hated it when she called me that. "Come right in! I'll get Dad!"

I never really did understand Megan. Her mom was a Raichu morph, and she had inherited that gene. She had evolved from a Pichu morph to Pikachu morph when she was seven, but she never showed any interest in evolving any further. And she insisted on calling me 'Grandpa'.

"Hi, Gwanpa, whas da pwoblem?" And Michael, who had also inherited the Pichu/Pikachu/Raichu gene. He was four. And he listened to his sister too much. "Is ev'wybody okay?"

"Yes, Michael. Everything is fine." I told him. He gave me a pouty look. "What?"

"My name's Mikey!" He whined. "Not 'My-kell'."

"Yes, alright Mikey." I shook my head. Lugia had his hands full with these two.

"Arceus, what's going on?" Ah, there he was. "Megan said you were here."

"That's right." I nodded. "We need help in Oblivia."

"Ugh, what sort of trouble is Kate in _this_ time?" Megan groaned. "Man, she needs to be more careful!"

"It isn't Kate this time." I informed. Megan gaped at me. "Latios' son has been kidnapped again."

"Uh-oh." Michael said. "Bad people take cousin?"

"Yes, bad people take cousin." I affirmed. Lugia sighed. "Summer asked me to come get you all."

"All of us?"

"Most of you." I noticed Megan getting excited. "And you aren't coming, Megan."

"Aww…"

"Alright, I'll go." Lugia agreed. "Are you going to ask the Chosen One to come?"

"Ash?" I asked. Lugia nodded. "Possibly. Delia would yell at me though."

"Well, good luck." I smiled, er, sorta smiled, and Lugia flew off.

"Okay, Dad's gone." Megan grinned. "So, you'll take us, right?"

"No, Megan. You aren't invited." I denied. "We need help, not a walking disaster."

"Meggie's a walking diz-as-da." Michael grinned. I laughed, and bid them farewell, before flying off towards Ho-oh's. Hopefully, she'd be in a good mood.

"Hello?" I called. "Ho-oh?"

"Arceus." She greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Uh… Latios' son has been kidnapped. We need reinforcements." I explained. "Will you come?"

"I will, ah, think about it." She decided. "You might as well go get the others then."

"Yes. Farewell, Ho-oh. I hope to see you again soon." With that I flew off. Four down, only dozens to go.

**A/N: I hope you like the little Arceus snippet. Okay, if you didn't understand what exactly was going on in the beginning, Ben was telling Summer to end it right then and there by killing him and making sure Edward couldn't use him for the Sky Fortress. And, of course, Summer wouldn't do it. I'm still debating on whether to add Ash or not. Some of my friends want me to, but this isn't about him. And **_**is**_** Arley evil, like in the games? Or is he really on their side? Find out next chapter! We're getting close to the climax! WHOOOO! YAY! Maybe Ben will survive this time? I still don't own Pokémon. Until next time!**


	33. Flashbacks and Battles

(Ben's POV)

"_Ben, wake up!" I groaned, shifting in bed. I looked up reluctantly at my 'sister', a thirteen year old girl with blonde and blue hair and bright blue eyes. I was ten years old. My mom wanted me to become a trainer on my tenth birthday, but I declined. My friends Ash and Gary couldn't believe that I didn't want to be a trainer. Then they'd started arguing again. Professor Oak offered me a Charmander in case I changed my mind, but, again, I declined. I stayed at home with Mom and Jen and Erin. I could smell bacon cooking in the kitchen figured Mom or Jen were already up. Then I heard coughing. Oh. Must be Jen, then. I slid out of bed, and pulled on my tennis shoes. Erin grinned, and tossed me the soccer ball. _

"_C'mon, sleepy head! You're usually the first one up!" She laughed. I rolled my eyes, and followed her downstairs to the kitchen. "Hey, Jen!"_

"_Good morning, Erin, Ben." She greeted. She put a plate of bacon at each of our spots at the table. "Ben, Professor Oak wants to see you."_

"_Again?" I groaned. "I don't wanna be a trainer."_

"_I'm sure he knows that." Jen ruffled my hair. "He probably just wants you to watch Gary."_

"_Why can't you watch Gary?" I whined. "Or Mrs. Ketchum?"_

"_Mrs. Ketchum already has her hands full, bud, and I'm busy today."_

"_Busy?" I scoffed. "Doing what?"_

"_That's none of your business, kiddo." She laughed. "Now, run along. You and Erin can play soccer later."_

"_Fine." Me and Erin outside. Pallet Town was a small place, and we had plenty of room to play soccer. We followed the path up to Professor Oak's place, and knocked on the door. The Professor opened it._

"_Hello, Ben, Erin." He greeted. "Come right in. I have something to show you, Ben."_

"_Okay." We followed him inside. Gary was playing with his action figures on the floor. He waved at us. The Professor led us to his lab._

"_Now, I know you don't want to be a trainer, Ben." He started. I nodded in agreement. "Have you ever considered being a Coordinator or a Breeder?"_

"_I don't want to catch Pokémon in Pokèballs. It seems cruel." I replied. Professor Oak nodded in understanding. "Erin didn't become a trainer!"_

"_True, but there are other things out there for you to do." The Professor thought for a minute. "Have you ever thought about being a Pokémon Ranger? There's a school for it in Almia, you know."_

"_What's a Pokémon Ranger?" _

"_A Pokémon Ranger doesn't catch Pokémon in Pokèballs. Instead, they use Capture Stylers to convey their feelings of friendship to the Pokémon." Erin described, eyes shining. "I've always wanted to be a Ranger! They do their best to protect people and Pokémon everywhere!"_

"_Wow!" I exclaimed. I looked at Professor Oak. "Can I think about it?"_

"_Sure, Ben." He smiled. "You just let me know. In the meantime, will you take Ash and Gary to get ice cream?"_

"_ICE CREAM!" Cue Gary, rushing in the room, a giddy grin on his six year old face. "We're getting ice cream, Grandpa!?"_

"_Yes, Gary. Now run along. You too, Ben and Erin." Professor Oak replied. We all nodded, and left the house. Gary ran ahead of us, towards the Ketchum residence. We followed, and knocked on the door. Mrs. Ketchum opened it._

"_Good morning!" She smiled. "Ash, your friends are here!"_

"_Hiya, Gary! Hiya, Ben! Hiya, Erin!" The six year old boy grinned. Ash was clutching a Pikachu plush in one hand, and a toy Pokèball in the other. "What's up?"_

"_We're getting ice cream!" Gary cried happily. Ash grinned, and started jumping up and down. "Can Ash come, Mrs. Ketchum!?"_

"_Of course." She laughed. "Just stay with Ben or Erin at all times."_

"_Okay, Mom!" Ash ran out the door, followed by Gary. I waved goodbye to Mrs. Ketchum and chased after them. We ran down the road to the little ice cream by the woods. We walked in, and Ash and Gary took a seat at one of the tables. _

"_I want chocolate!" Ash declared._

"_Vanilla!" Gary added. I chuckled, and walked up to the counter, knowing fully what Erin wanted. The man at the counter smiled at me._

"_Good morning, Ben." He greeted. "Let me guess… two chocolates, a vanilla, and a strawberry, right?"_

"_Yep!" I confirmed. "Thanks, Thomas."_

"_No problem." He grinned. "Is your sister coming today?"_

"_Jen?" I asked. Thomas nodded. The whole of Pallet Town was convinced that the three of us were siblings. "Nah, she's staying home. Mom's sick again."_

"_Oh." Thomas' face fell. But he smiled again, and handed me the ice creams. "Enjoy!"_

"_Thanks!" I walked back over to the boys, and gave them their ice cream. They eagerly started licking it. Erin had arrived, and I gave her hers, and took a seat. _

"_Did you hear!? There's a ranger in town!" Erin exclaimed giddily. "I hope we get to meet them."_

"_That'd be cool." I agreed. I heard the door to the shop open, and I subconsciously glanced towards it. A sixteen year old kid who I'd never seen before walked. He wore a red outfit and a cowboy hat. _

"_That's him! That's the Ranger!" Erin whispered excitedly. "Oh my gosh, he's _here_!"_

_The Ranger walked over and ordered something from Thomas, before wandering over to our table. I swear, Erin looked like she was about to burst._

"_You mind if I sit here, kids?" He asked. Erin nodded excitedly._

"_Of course, Mr. Ranger!" She replied. The Ranger smiled and took a seat. "I'm Erin!"_

"_Name's Sven." He introduced. He looked at me, Ash, and Gary. "And who are you three?"_

"_I'm Ben, and this is Ash and Gary." I introduced. Ash and Gary's eyes were wide. "Nice to meet you, Sven."_

"_What's it like being a Ranger?" Erin grinned widely. "Is it fun."_

"_Yep!" Sven grinned. "My little cousin Solana is in Ranger school right now. She's eleven."_

"_Cute! Ben's thinking about going to Ranger school!" Erin grinned. "I want to, too. But I'll only go if Ben does. I'd hate to not know anyone."_

"_Are you two siblings?" Sven asked. We shrugged. "Neat. I'm an only child."_

"_Lucky." Ash muttered under his breath._

"_Ash, you're an only child, too!" Erin laughed._

"_Yeah, but I'm stuck with Gary!" He made a face. "He's annoying."_

"_I'm not annoying!" Gary whined. "You're annoying!"_

"_I am not!"_

"_You are too!"_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too!"_

"_AM NOT!"_

"_ARE TOO!"_

"_Boys." Erin laughed. "Knock it off."_

"_Sorry, Erin." They both replied._

"_Very obedient." Sven chuckled. He glanced at Erin. "You'd make a good Ranger."_

"_Thanks." Erin blushed. "Ben would too. He hates the thought of putting Pokémon in Pokèballs."_

"_I really do." I admitted. Ash and Gary stared at me in surprise. "What?"_

"_I still can't believe you don't want to be a trainer!" Ash exclaimed. "I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master!"_

"_No, I am!"_

"_No, me!"_

"_ME!"_

"_ME!"_

"_BOYS!" Erin shouted. The boys shrunk back. Sven laughed. "Sorry. They argue a lot."_

"_I can tell." Sven and Erin started chatting about who knows what. I watched Ash and Gary._

_While Erin wasn't looking, Gary smiled evilly, and dumped his ice cream in Ash's hair. "HEY! GARY!"_

"_Haha!" Ash proceeded to dump his ice cream in Gary's hair. "HEY!"_

"_Boys, what are you- hey! You two!" Erin groaned. "Ben, weren't you watching?"_

"_Yeah. It was funny." I shrugged. "They do this all the time."_

"_They're kids." Sven chuckled. "Hey, tell you what. I have nothing to do today, and almost anything can count as a mission. So, new mission: Help Erin Babysit!"_

"_Really, you'd do that!?" Erin grinned. "Thank you!"_

_"__No prob." Sven smiled. "Let's go."_

* * *

(Summer's POV)

I started pounding at the red doors, screaming Ben's name repeatedly. Latios shot aura spheres at it, while Arley just stood back.

"I already told you, its Pokémon proof." He shook his head. "And Edward's the only one with the password."

"I hate Edward!" I screamed. "He's a stupid, evil-"

'Summer, calm down. Raging at Edward won't help us save Ben.' I hated to admit it, but Latios was right. 'We need a plan.'

"Right, a plan." I repeated. "Ugh, where is Arceus when you need him!?"

'Getting reinforcements, remember?' Latios reminded me. 'He'll be here pretty-"

_BOOM!_

All three of us turned as the side of the hall exploded. When the dust cleared, I could see Arceus with a legion of legendary Pokémon. And… a kid on his back? Wasn't that the kid that Ben was disguised as when we pranked Latios? What was his name… Ash!

'Reinforcements have arrived!' Arceus exclaimed. 'Let's kick some Pincher butt.'

"Hey!" The boy- Ash- jumped off of Arceus's back. "I'm Ash Ketchum! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, but my friend's in there!" I pointed at the door. Mew flew up, her eyes narrowed. "Any ideas?"

"I know!" Ash grabbed some Pokèballs from his belt. "Charizard, Sceptile, Gliscor! I choose you!"

'Let's get this party started!' Charizard roared. I grinned. 'What's up?'

'Hey, I'm fighting too!' The Pikachu shouted. 'I'm strong!'

"Good to know, Pikachu." I nodded, then turned to the Legendaries. "Everyone, help out! We need to break down this door!"

'Right, Summer!' Mew cried. 'Let's do this!'

'For Ben!' Latios called.

'FOR BEN!" The Pokémon repeated. They all rushed forward, throwing their best attacks at the door. It didn't even dent. I heard slow clapping from behind us.

"Well done." I narrowed my eyes. Edward. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to make it this far."

"Well, we did." I retorted. "Open the door, Edward!"

"Let me think… no." He chuckled. Ash glared at him.

"Who do you think you are!?" He growled. "You're worse than Team Rocket!"

"You're that little boy from Pallet Town, aren't you?" Edward said. Ash narrowed his eyes. "Shame what happened to your friend, huh?"

"You…" Ash snarled. "It's a shame Officer Jenny didn't catch you!"

"You'll stay out of this if you know what's good for you." Edward declared. "This fight is between me and Summer."

"Is it, Edward?" I hissed. "If I recall correctly, you've somehow hurt everyone here!"

"Everyone? I never injured half of these Pokémon."

'Let me tell you something.' Latios had switched to telepathy mode. 'All of the legendaries are family.'

'And family…' Lugia started.

'.. means no one…' Reshiram continued.

'…gets left behind…' Girantina.

'Or forgotten!' A rainbow lit up the sky, and all of a sudden, a blast of fire was shot at Edward. He jumped back just in time. We looked up to see that Ho-oh had appeared.

'Ho-oh!' Latios cried. 'I… I didn't think you'd come!'

"Ho-oh!" Ash grinned. "Wow…"

'Of course I came, Latios.' She smiled. 'Ben is family, no matter what. I can't let anything happen to him.'

Suddenly, the Sky Fortress shook. Edward cursed under his breath.

"He was supposed to last longer than this!" He cried. I looked at Latios in surprise. The Sky Fortress shook again, and the lights flickered.

"What's going on?" Ash asked. Several of the Legendaries started trying to burst the door open again. "Summer?"

'We don't have much time.' Latios whispered. He looked at me, fear and pain in his eyes. 'My son… he's dying…'

"NOT ON OUR WATCH HE'S NOT!" I looked up in surprise as Kate, Keith, Kellyn, Lunick, Solana, Jen, Jake, Erin, and Latias arrived… on the Union?

"Yeehaw! I haven't 'ad this much fun since I was thirty!" That was Booker. I couldn't believe my eyes. The Union was _flying_. There was a battle cannon on the front, and suddenly the passengers jumped off, gliding down with parachutes.

"WE WIN! HAHA!" Kate laughed maniacally, and sent a Dark Void at Edward. It knocked him out. "MWAHAHAHA! THE RANGERS WIN!"

"Let's do this!" Ash exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "Everybody, try to break down the door!"

"One… two… THREE!" We all rushed forward, hitting the door with all our might. Nothing.

'Summer… if we both use Judgement…' Arceus started. My eyes lit up in realization.

"It should be strong enough to break down the door!" I nodded determinedly, and held out my hands. "As Arceus's chosen, the legendaries' trusted friend, I call upon JUDGEMENT!"

The attack hit squarely on the door. There was a large explosion, and we all covered our eyes. When I look again, the dust had cleared and the door was a pile of rubble.

"You did it!" Kate cheered. "C'mon!"

"Right." I rushed inside, followed by Ash and Kate. There was Ben, trapped in a glass cage, unconscious. He had stopped screaming, and was pale. Too pale. There were beams of light that seemed to be levitating him off the ground. Ash nodded to Pikachu, and it used Iron Tail on the cage, breaking the glass. The beams of light ceased, and I lunged forward to catch Ben as he fell. I caught him, kneeling down in glass shard that pierced my knees. But that didn't matter. I didn't even stop to check for a sign of life as I rushed Ben out of the room. The whole Fortress was trembling now.

"We have to get out of here!" Arley cried. "This thing's gonna fall out of the sky!"

"Right! Everyone, let's go!" I climbed on Arceus' back, and he gave me a nod. Ash got on Lugia, Kate and Kellyn morphed, Lunick got on Latias, and Solana got on Latios. Jake, Jen, and Erin returned to the Union along with Arley.

"HEY! WAIT FOR US!" I heard the familiar voice of Kasa. She and Hocus ran forward. "Please take us with you! We won't hurt anyone!"

"Fine." I agreed. "Get Edward as well. It would be cruel to just leave him here."

"Okay!" Kasa nodded, and grabbed Edward. She dragged him up the ladder onto the Union, followed by Hocus. The Union took off, along with the rest of the Pokémon. I stared down at Ben's seemingly lifeless body in my arms.

Oh, please let him be okay…

**A/N: THE CLIMAX! HAHA! Flashback for Ben's POV! Ash! Ho-oh showed up! Did anyone catch the Lilo and Stitch reference. OMG I LOVE THAT PART, BY THE WAY! Will Ben live? What happened to all the Pinchers on the Sky Fortress (They all had parachutes, actually.)? Until next time, my friends!**


	34. The Aftermath

(Summer's POV)

We all went back to my house. I laid Ben down on the couch. He was still alive. I had felt his heartbeat and seen his breathing. We were all gonna be safe.

Edward, Kasa, and Hocus were in handcuffs, glaring at Arley. Most of the legendaries wouldn't fit in my house, so they were either outside or in human form. In the house, we had Latios (Of course.), Latias, Mew, Mewtwo, Victini, Manaphy, Celebi, and a couple of others. Ho-oh was in human form, in here as well, along with all the humans. The Union was parked outside. I knelt beside the couch, wishing Ben would wake up. The two of us were the only ones in the room.

"Sum… Summer?" I glanced up in surprise. Ben's eyes had fluttered open, and he was smiling slightly at me. "You saved the world."

"Yeah…" I bit my lip. I'd almost lost him. "You're gonna be okay now."

"No…" He shook his head. "I'm not…  
"Yes you are!" I protested. "You can't die on me! Not now, not ever!"

"Summer." Ben's breathing was ragged now. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked, looking at him. He took a deep, shaky breath. Next thing I know, he's pressed his lips against mine. He's kissing me! Which means he _does_ like me! I lean into the kiss, but Ben pulls away suddenly.

"I love you, Summer." He whispered.

"I love you too, Ben." I replied. I realized that my voice was shaking and my vision was starting to blur. Ben smiled slightly, and closed his eyes. He let out a breath, and I noticed that he didn't take in another.

"No…" I murmured. Tears started to streak down my face. "No, no, NO! Ben, wake up! Please!"

I checked desperately for pulse, for breathing, for _something_ to show that he was alive. Nothing. I let out a choked sob, and shook him.

"Wake up!" I cried. "It isn't funny!"

"Summer?" Kate peeked her head through the doorway. "You o- oh, no…"

She raced in, and knelt beside me. She checked for pulse, just as I had. When she found nothing, she gasped and her eyes filled with tears.

"He's dead…" She whispered. She looked at me. "Oh, Summer, I-"

"There's nothing you could've done." I told her. My voice was shaky and hoarse, and as I spoke, I felt salty tears drip into my mouth. "Get Celebi. Maybe… maybe I can heal him!"

"Get me for what?" Celebi walked into the room, under the guise of a ten year old girl with green hair. She saw Ben. "Oh no!"

"Celebi, can I heal him!?" I asked, willing her to say yes. "Like last time?"

"Summer…" Celebi's eyes glowed white, and she stared at him. Then she shook her head sadly. "No…"

"But I did last time!" I cried. "Why can't I this time?"

"Because last time he wasn't truly dead." Celebi explained sadly. "But now he is. Trust me, if I could do something, I would. But you can't just bring people back to life."

"Go get his dad." I ordered. "And Jen and Erin. I'm not leaving him."

"Alright." Kate and Celebi exited the room. I stared at Ben's lifeless body. He was really gone this time. No magic healing, no crazy cousin coming to the rescue, no second chances. I grabbed his hand, ignoring the fact that its usual warmth was dimmed. I couldn't believe it… We'd almost saved him, too.

Kate and Celebi didn't _just _get Latios, Erin, and Jen. They got everybody. Latios rushed in a knelt beside me. I noticed Arceus and some other legendaries peeking in the windows. Several even changed into human form and rushed inside.

"My son… oh, my son." Latios murmured. "I'm so sorry…"

"Oh, man… he can't be dead!" Ash cried. I looked at him strangely. "He was one of my best friends when I was little. He left to become a ranger when I was eight or nine."

"I can't believe he's really gone…" Erin whispered. Jake pulled Jen into a comforting hug, and she buried her face into his chest and cried.

'Benny's not dead!' Mew exclaimed hesitantly. 'He can't be! He's not supposed to die!'

'Mew…' Mewtwo sighed. 'Mew, I went over this with you after the last time someone died.'

'Yeah, but Ash came back to life!' Mew declared. 'Benny will too, right?'

"Latios, I-"

"Don't, Ho-oh." Latios gave her a hard glare. "Maybe if you had let me stay with my son, none of this would've happened!"

"Latios, don't be so hard on Ho-oh." I recognized the next speaker to be Lugia, by his silvery hair and strangely patterned outfit. "She's not perfect."

"Yes, I suppose your right." Latios sighed. "I'm sorry, Ho-oh… it's just…"

"I know…" Ho-oh sighed. I blotted out the rest of their conversation. This wasn't supposed to happen! We were supposed to be celebrating right now! He wasn't supposed to _die_! Why couldn't I of transported us out of that mess when we had the chance!? Then he'd still be here, he'd still be safe. It was all my fault…

'It isn't your fault, Summer.' That was Arceus speaking. I glanced at him through the window. Though he didn't have a mouth, I could tell he was smiling sadly at me. 'Perhaps it was for the best-'

"For the best!?" I hissed, under my breath, knowing Arceus would hear. "My best friend is dead! I just found out that he _loved_ me! And he's _dead_!"

'Everyone has to deal with losing people they love.' Arceus explained. 'It's a part of life. But just because you can't see Ben doesn't mean he isn't there. He'll _always_ be with you Summer.'

"Since when were _you_ any good at comforting people?" I gave a dry laugh. Nobody even glanced my way. Except Ash. Everyone, save for him, was used to my talking to Arceus in my head.

'Since always.' Arceus responded. 'Besides, he'll be happy where he is. You want that, don't you?'

"Yeah…" I mumbled. "I guess… that's what I've always wanted. For him to be safe and happy."

"Summer, er, who are you talking to?" Ash asked me awkwardly. "Cause nobody said anything."

'Maybe she's just crazier than you.' Pikachu muttered.

"I heard that Pikachu!" I frowned. "I'm not crazy! He's-" I pointed to Arceus. "-the crazy one."

'Why do I even bother?'

* * *

(Ben's POV)

I woke up in my room back in Kanto. I looked around, then down at my clothes. Neat and clean, just like before we started the journey. I stood up hesitantly, then walked down the semi familiar stairs. In the kitchen was a person I never thought I'd see again.

"Mom…" I whispered. She looked up and smiled at me. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and her usually paled skin was a light tan. She wore a light blue sundress, and she was mixing what looked a lot like cookie dough. . It was as if she had never gotten sick. I ran up and hugged her. "Mom… what are you doing here? What am _I _doing here?"

"My little Ranger, I am so proud of you." Mom smiled. "You were so brave."

"Mom, am I…" I hesitated. "Am I _dead_?"

Mom nodded.

"I'm not going back this time, am I?"

"No."

"Is Summer…" I bit my lip. "Is Summer gonna be okay?"

"With time." Mom shrugged. "They all with be. Your father didn't take it too well."

"You knew all along, didn't you?" I asked. Mom nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't the right time." She replied. "Things work like that."

"Maya! Hey, Maya!" I looked up. A girl, about Summer's age, ran in the room. She looked a lot like Summer, actually, but her hair was blonde. "Oh! Oh, no! You died, too?"

"Are you… are you Susie?" I asked. The girl nodded, and smiled. "I'm Ben."

"Yeah, I know." She grinned. "You think I wouldn't know my sister's boyfriend?"

"I never got a chance to be her boyfriend."

"Well, same difference." Susie ran up to one of the cabinets and opened it. She reached in and pulled out a cookie. I glanced in the cabinet. Empty. "Shame you had to come here so soon."

"Why are we at our house?" I asked Mom. "Is this really Pallet Town?"

"It's whatever you'd like it to be." She smiled. "I sometimes stay here, but sometimes I stay in Alto Mare."

"Is Ash's dad here?" Mom nodded. "And Gary's parents!?"

"Yes, they're all here." She chuckled. "I'm sure you'll meet them all."

"It's weird." I muttered, taking a seat at the table. "I'm not gonna see Summer or Jen or Erin or Dad for a long time now…"

"You'll see them. They just might not see you." Mom sighed. "You died far too early…"

"Well, nothing we can do about _that_." I muttered. Susie just laughed.

"Course there is!" Susie exclaimed. "Summer might be able to figure out a way to do that. But in the meantime, make yourself at home! Cookie?"

"Uh… sure?" I took the cookie from her hand. "I thought Summer couldn't bring me back to life?"

"She wouldn't be able to, usually." Mom explained. "But given this particular case… I wouldn't doubt it. Like I said, you died too early."

"Can I… see her?" I asked hesitantly. Mom nodded, and smiled. She led me outside. It looked… just like Pallet Town. I saw lots of people walking around, people I didn't know. I could easily spot what looked like Gary's parents. They were young, maybe in their twenties? I got the feeling people could mostly choose their age here. It was sunny out, and everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing. One little girl ran up to me.

"'Scuse me, mister, but are you a Pokémon Ranger?" She asked. I nodded, and her eyes glowed. "Wow! Cool!"

"That's Marian. She's died at ninety-five, but she prefers being five." Mom chuckled. "She lived in a time when Rangers were scarce."

"There's a lot of people here." I commented. Mom laughed. "So you know _everyone_ here?"

"Not everyone." Mom denied. "But several."

"Wow." I looked around some more. It _was_ Pallet Town, but the trees were greener and the sky was bluer. It was almost unrealistic. Mom led me into the forest, and to a little lake.

"There are all sorts of places to look back at Earth," Mom said. "But this is my favorite. Go on, have a look."

"Okay." I glanced at the lake. Soon enough, I could make out Summer. She was sitting miserably in her room, staring blankly at something I couldn't see.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." I heard her mutter. "Why can't I bring him back?"

"Mom, I thought you said she could bring me back?" I asked, glancing at Mom. "Why can't she?"

"She doesn't know how, sweetie." Mom sighed. "Someone would need to tell her. Sadly, we can't contact her here."

"You want to contact someone on Earth, Maya?" We both looked up. A man who looked a lot like Ash stood before us. He wore strange clothes that looked ancient. There was a Lucario by his side.

"Aaron! Yes, my son wishes to contact his girlfriend." I gave Mom a look. "Not his girlfriend."

"You know, there are a few select places you can do that." The man- Aaron- grinned. "There's one such place in Cameron. I contact Delia all the time."

'But does he contact his _son_? No!' Lucario grumbled. 'But yes, there is a place.'

"Will you take us there?" I asked. Aaron nodded. "Thank you, Mister!"

"Please, my name's Sir Aaron." He smiled. "I'd gladly do something like this for you. My son was great friends with you at one point."

"Who's your son?" I asked.

"Ash Ketchum."

* * *

(Summer's POV)

I laid back on my bed, and stared up at the clouds. A dog and a Kadabra. I let out a dry laugh at the irony. I glanced at my painting. A flower. Just like Ben said. Booker had offered to have him buried in Oblivia, but Latios wanted him buried next to his mother. So we were waiting. I couldn't believe he was actually gone. I was suddenly terrified, all alone, without my best friend and the boy I had loved.

Why did he have to leave so soon?

Arceus had left me alone for the time being. I honestly appreciated the silence, and the opportunity to think without someone seeing my thoughts. Of course, anyone could guess what they were. Ben. I still remembered the day we met.

* * *

"_Alright, class, today we have a new student. He comes here from Kanto." I grinned eagerly as Ms. April announced the news to the class. Kate nudged Keith, and he looked up drowsily. Solana and Lunick grinned at each other. Rhythmi whispered something about whether he was cute or not to Kellyn, who immediately laughed and asked why she was asking him that. "Come right in."_

_A boy with tall brown hair walked into the classroom. It was weird how he had bandages around his forehead… maybe he was in some sort of accident?_

"_Introduce yourself." Ms. April smiled. The boy nodded._

"_I'm Ben, and I'm from Pallet Town in Kanto." He announced. "I want to be a Ranger."_

"_Wonderful. Now, why don't you take a seat next to Summer." I gave the new boy- what was his name? Oh yeah, Ben- a grin, and he walked over and sat next to me. "Alright class, today is a free study day. I will be in the staff lounge if you need anything, and Mr. Kincaid is across the hall."_

"_Okay, Ms. April! We'll remember that!" Keith called. Ms. April gave him a frown, before exiting the room. "Hey, new kid, what's Kanto like?"_

"_Yeah! What is Kanto like?"_

"_Is it cool!?"_

"_Do you know Professor Oak?"_

"_Hey!" I shouted. "Don't crowd him. I'm sorry, Ben. Our class can be a bit overwhelming at times."_

"_Um, Kanto's a nice place." Ben replied. "Yeah, I knew the Professor."_

"_Hey! Sven told me about you!" Solana grinned. "The boy from the ice cream shop. Erin's brother, right?"_

"_I'm sorry, but I don't have a sister." Ben shook his head. "I mean, I might, but I can't remember much that well."_

"_What happened to you?" Kellyn asked. "Did you fall off a cliff?"_

"_Were you in a car accident?"_

"_Was there a bad storm?"_

"_Or an earthquake!"_

"_Did a Pokémon attack you?"_

"_Did you die?"_

"_Um… no, I didn't die, obviously." I sent a glare towards Keith for the stupid question. He just shrugged. "I don't really know what happened."_

"_What level are you in?" Solana asked. "Me and Lunick are in six, Kate, Keith, and Kellyn are in four. And Summer is in two. Rhythmi and Isaac are in four, too, I think."_

"_Um… Ms. April said I was in two." Ben responded. "What do the levels even mean?"_

"_It's like grade levels at a normal school." I explained. "Six is the highest- Lunick and Solana are graduating this year. The lowest is zero. Nobody's at that level, though."_

"_Oh."_

_This new kid fascinated me. I figured we could become friends. I hoped so, anyway. I got the feeling he was going to be an important part of my life._

* * *

I had been right, of course. Ben was the best thing that ever happened to me. And I had no way of saving him this time. I could feel a fresh wave of tears building up in my eyes. It was all my fault…

**A/N: AAAHH DON'T KILL ME! Okay, I'm sorry Ben died again! But, hey, Susie says he might come back to life! And he got to see his Mom! And Ash's dad is Sir Aaron! And it's almost over! YAY! Maybe I'll write a sequel… if I bring Ben back to life. ;) Hope you enjoyed. I don't own Pokémon.**


	35. Back From the Dead (Sorta)

(Ben's POV)

"Wait a minute, _you're _Ash's dad!?" I exclaimed. Sir Aaron nodded. "But- uh… how long have you been here, exactly?"

"I dunno, over six hundred years or something like that." He shrugged. "Lucario's only been here for about a year or two."

"Um… so how does that work?" I asked. "If you're from over six hundred years in the past, and Ash is from the present?"

"Long story short, there was a war and I had Celebi transport Delia and a three year old Ash to the future for safety." Aaron explained. "I locked Lucario in my staff for safety, and Ash happens to come to Cameron and accidentally free him. Pikachu was 'kidnapped' by Mew. Ash went to the rescue, the Tree of Beginning got sick, Ash discovered his Aura, Lucario saved the Tree, and, ta-da!, here he is."

I stared blankly.

"Aaron, Ben didn't get any of that…" Mom sighed. "You should ask Ash."

"Ash won't know!" Aaron exclaimed. "I explained it well, I thought!"

"Um… I'll just… ask Mew…" I decided. Aaron seemed fine with that, and nodded. "So… are we going?"

"Yep!" Aaron raced ahead. "C'mon! We don't have all day!"

"Yes… we do…" Mom groaned. We followed him. "Forgive him, he just wants a chance to talk to Ash."

"Well… that's great. But we _are_ talking to Summer first, right?" I asked. Mom nodded. "Good."

"Alright, which way's quickest?" Aaron had stopped at a fork in the road. He looked down each one, considering it carefully. Mom just sighed, and led me to the path on the right.

"Aaron, the path on the left leads to Fiore." Mom laughed. "Cameron is in Hoenn, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"So why would we go to Fiore?" Mom asked. Aaron just shrugged. "Ugh… sometimes, I don't understand you."

"Alright, TO CAMERON!" Aaron took off running down the path. I stared after him.

'Now, can't you tell that he's Ash's father?' Lucario groaned. 'C'mon, before we lose him…'

* * *

It didn't take as long as I expected to get to Cameron. We were there within what felt like five minutes. I had no idea. Cameron wasn't what I expected. It looked like a kingdom out of a storybook.

"Welcome to Cameron!" Sir Aaron grinned. "We will be heading to the castle. I'll introduce you to_ everyone_!"

"We don't have time for that, Aaron." Mom sighed. "Which way is you communication thing?"

"Oh! It's in the courtyard!" He rushed forward, and we had to run to keep up. He led us into the castle, through several halls, and all the way outside again. There was a little pool of water. "There it is!"

"So… what do we do?" I asked. "Ask to see someone?"

"Basically."

"Alright." I looked at the pool of water. "I want to see Summer."

* * *

(Summer's POV)

"_La la lala la… you were my world… da dada dada... you were my everything…_" I was lying on my back, singing quietly to myself. Without Ben around, I was bored out of my mind. "_And now you're gone… la la la… far away… du du du… out of my reach… Oooo…_"

"Summer."

"_And now I hear your voice! Ooo, everywhere, I see you… oh, smiling…" _

"Summer!"

"_But my mind… la lala… can't fool me… du dudu du…"_

"She's ignoring me…"

"_And you're talking to me… lalala… I can hear your voice… oooo…. I see you standing there!" _

"Summer, what _are_ you singing?"

"Would you shut up, Ben, I'm trying to mourn!" I snapped. "_Lalala… I wish you were- _Wait a minute, _BEN_!?"

"That would be my name." I shot up, nearly falling off my bed. I looked toward the source of the voice. Ben was standing in my room. He laughed at my face. I probably looked so surprised right now… But could you blame me? My _dead_ best friend was standing in my room!

"Ben!" I cried again, racing up to hug him. To my surprise, I ended up running straight through him. I turned around, and so did he. He stared in surprise. "I… you… you're a ghost?"

"I didn't… I don't know…" He admitted. "I'm not alive."

"No…" I mumbled. "You aren't."

"Hey, but Susie says you can bring me back again!" He exclaimed. "Mom told me that somebody would have to explain it to you. I dunno who, but still. Isn't it great!?"

"You met _Susie_?" I gasped. "Never mind that, I can bring you back!? But Celebi said-"

"So?" Ben grinned. "I wish _someone_ had told me who you should ask."

"Arceus might have an idea." I suggested. "Maybe there's some sort of legend!"

"Mom says you should ask Dialga or Palkia too." Ben declared. "Are they there, too?"

"Yeah, everyone's still here." I confirmed. "I can go ask now."

"Oh, and Ash's dad wants to see him, so could you bring him up?" Ben requested. I nodded. "Great!"

"Be right back." I rushed down the stairs, a giddy grin on my face. I wasn't paying much attention, and I ran straight into Jen. "Sorry, Jen! I'm in a hurry!"

"What are you so happy about?" She growled. "Shouldn't you be sad?"

"At the moment, since I just got done talking to Ben, no!" I laughed. "Gotta find Dialga and Palkia!"

"What-" I didn't stick around. I raced out of the house, and quickly spotted Dialga and Palkia. Arguing.

"HEY!" I exclaimed, rushing up to them. "Can I ask you guys something?"

'Of course, Summer.' Palkia smiled. 'Ignore the blue idiot over there, he won't be any help.'

'No, ignore the spoiled pink princess!' Dialga cried. 'I'm the one you want to talk to.'

"Okay, I actually need both of your help." I declared. "Okay, hypothetically, if Ben appeared in my room and told me I could bring him back to life, but needed someone to tell me how, who would I ask?"

'Is this really hypothetical?'

"No."

'Well, you could always ask- no…' Dialga thought for a moment. 'What about Darkrai?'

'Or Girantina.' Palkia pointed out. 'Or both.'

"Oh! Thank you!" I exclaimed. I raced off before I could hear their reply. Let's see, where would Kate's dad be… oh! There he is. "Darkrai! Darkrai!"

'Summer, good to see you aren't still moping about in your room.' He grinned. 'What's up? Need me to give Jake nightmares?'

"No, no. I need you to tell me how to bring Ben back to life!" I exclaimed. "He doesn't know who I should ask. Dialga suggested you."

'Bring Ben back to life?' Darkrai frowned. 'I'm sorry, Summer, but that isn't something I know how to do. You're kinda on your own on that one.'

"Gee, thanks for the help, Dark." I commented. "What about the others?"

'Arceus?'

'What about me?' And, he was back. 'Did you miss me?'

"No, not really." I muttered sarcastically. "Ben says I can bring him back to life."

'Ben _told_ you this himself?'

"Yes, Arceus, Ben told me this himself." I confirmed. "Unless I've gone crazy from the trauma of losing him _again_!"

'True point.' Arceus nodded. 'With all that's happened to you two, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.'

"You think?" I commented, rolling my eyes.

'Alright, come over here. I'm with the Eon Duo at the moment.'

"Kay!" I grinned. "See ya, Dark!"

'Why do you call me Dark?'

"Because you said I could!" I laughed, running off. It wasn't that hard to find Arceus. He was a big Pokémon. Sure enough, he was with Ben's dad and Latias. "Hey, guys!"

'Summer!' Latios smiled sadly. 'You came down.'

"Yep!" I grinned. "I'm gonna bring Ben back to life!"

'Summer, Celebi said you couldn't!' Latias exclaimed. 'You can't!'

"Tell that to the ghost boy up in my room at the moment." I retorted. "I think it'll work, since I just got finished talking to my dead best friend."

'You _talked_ to _Ben_!?' Latios gasped. 'But- but…'

"Unless I was hallucinating, yes I was." I beamed. "This mission's gonna have a happy ending, after all!"

'Summer, something like this hasn't happened for almost a thousand years.' Arceus warned. 'The legendaries can't help you with this one. You will need to seek out the help of someone in the past.'

"Great." I sighed. "Well, I better get Ash. His dad wants to see him. Bye!"

* * *

(Ben's POV)

"This is gonna be awesome!" Sir Aaron cheered. "Ash isn't gonna believe it."

"Yes, and then he'll be in denial because you're such an idiot." Mom groaned. "Ben, remind me again why you want me to meet Summer?"

"You'd like her!" I exclaimed. We were all in Summer's room now. Mom had taken a seat on Summer's bed, and Aaron was dancing around the room. I sat down next to Mom.

"I _do_ like her." Mom nodded. "I've seen her before. I've just never _met_ her."

"Well, I think Summer would like you."

'I think Ash is gonna have a heart attack when he walks in here.' Lucario grumbled. 'Seeing as we're supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, he's gonna freak." I laughed in agreement. "I wonder when Summer's going to-"

_THUD!_

"Sorry!"

"Geez, Summer, why are you in such a hurry!?" I got the feeling that Summer had run Ash into a wall. Suddenly the door slammed open, and Summer rushed inside.

"I'm back!" She declared. Ash, walked in beside her, rubbing his head. "And I brought Ash!"

'Ash!' Lucario exclaimed. Ash looked up, a huge grin lit up his face.

"Lucario!" He cried. He spotted me. "And Ben, too!"

"Hey!" Sir Aaron pointed to himself. "What about me?"

"Sir Aaron?" Ash gasped.

"Oh, you've already met?" Summer shrugged. "Neat."

"Hey there, Ash!" Aaron grinned. "It's so great to finally meet you!"

"You too, Sir Aaron!" Ash smiled. "It's an honor."

"Well, there's no need for you to call me 'Sir Aaron', you know." Aaron chuckled. "Although, I must say, Delia raised you well."

"Wait, you know my _mom_!?" Ash gasped. Aaron nodded. "How?"

'How do you think you were able to unseal that staff, Ash?' Lucario asked him. Ash stood there, thinking for a moment. 'Only a direct descendant of Aaron's could have done that.'

"So he's like my great great great grandfather or something?"

"It takes him this long to figure it out?" Summer muttered to me. I laughed quietly. "Seriously."

"No, Ash," Aaron put a hand on Ash's shoulder. How come he could do that and I couldn't hug Summer!? "I'm your father."

"My… my _father_?" Ash took a step backwards in disbelief. "But… you died over six hundred years before I was even _born_!"

"I had Celebi take you and Delia to the future once the war broke out. I didn't want you to get hurt." Aaron explained. "I knew she would hide it from you, of course. You were only four at the time, too young to remember anything but little moments."

"Why didn't anyone _tell_ me!?" Ash cried. He faced Lucario. "Lucario, you could've told me!"

'I didn't know…' Lucario admitted. 'I figured it out pretty soon after I… after I died.'

"Why didn't _Mom_ tell me?" Ash looked at me. "Did you know!?"

"Not until just recently." I replied. "Heck, I didn't even know that I knew you until like a day ago."

"Ash…" Ash looked up.

"Miss Maya!" He exclaimed. "You're here too!"

"Yes." Mom chuckled. She looked at both me and Ash. "Now, what I'm about to say goes to both of you. Everything happens for a reason. Ash, if you hadn't of come to the future, what would've become of Mewtwo? Or Pikachu? Think of how many times you've saved the world!"

Ash looked down, obviously agreeing with my mom's statement.

"And Ben," I looked at her. "If your father hadn't of left, we would've stayed in Alto Mare. You would have never become a Ranger, never met Summer or Ash or Jen or Erin."

"That's true…" I nodded. "You're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Mom ruffled my hair. "Moms are _always_ right."

"What about dads!?" Aaron whined. "Aren't we always right?"

"Aaron, if _you_ were always right, than the world would be backwards." Mom rolled her eyes. "And Latios had the worst sense of direction imaginable."

"Why am I not surprised?" I laughed. "My dad is crazy."

"You're family is crazy." Summer corrected. "Every last one of them. Except your mom. She seems nice."

"I remember the first time Latios introduced me to his entire family." Mom laughed. "I'll admit, I was surprised to say the least."

"At least you don't have to listen to Arceus blabbering all the time." Summer groaned. I just rolled my eyes. "He never shuts up!"

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed suddenly. "Now I can go home and surprise Mom!"

"Yep!" I grinned. "I would have too, when I found out about my dad. Except… you know."

"I don't care what time period you're from, you're the best dad I could ask for!" Ash raced forward to hug his forward. I was about to shout a warning, but Summer motioned for me to shut up, grinning evilly. Ash ran right through his father and straight into the wall. I stifled a laugh as Aaron turned around and started worriedly asking Ash if he was okay.

"Right, you're dead. I can't hug you." Ash muttered, rubbing his head again. "Now my head hurts again!"

"Sorry, Ashy boy, but I didn't get any warning either." Summer declared with a cheeky grin. Ash glared at her. "What's wrong, Ashy boy?"

"Stop it!" He whined. "That's what Gary calls me!"

"He is just like his father." Mom sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I feel bad for Delia."

"I like you, you're normal!" Summer exclaimed. I glared at her. "What? It seems like nobody's normal anymore. You, Kate, Kellyn, and Lunick are all Pokèmorphs. Keith is…. well, Keith. I have Arceus in my head, and Solana… actually, Solana's actually pretty normal."

"Get used to it, my friend." Sir Aaron grinned our way. "After this, your life will _never_ be normal again."

**A/N: This chapter's pretty cool. I didn't intend for it to turn out this way, but… yeah, it turned out pretty good. In case you were confused, yes, as of this moment, Ben is **_**still**_** dead. This was actually gonna be the last chapter (Before I wrote it, anyway.) But then… well, I changed my mind. I was like, nah, I'll make it a bit longer. :) I hope you enjoyed. Of course, I still don't own Pokémon…. Oh well! Until next time! By the way, I did make up the cliche dopey song lyrics up there. Because I really didn't want to use a real song and not write the entire thing. ;)**


	36. Saving Ben

(Summer's POV)

"I wish Arceus had been more specific when he said I needed to ask someone in the past." I grumbled. No one in Ravio's village had _any_ clue about the whole bringing someone back to life ordeal. Ravio was glad to see me, and meet Ben. He had a lot of questions, starting with why he could run through Ben but couldn't run through me. Even the village elder was clueless, although she suggested finding another village or something.

"We could try for Cameron?" Ben suggested, walking alongside me. I shrugged, looking around. "I see nothing but trees. We aren't going to find any help in the middle of nowhere."

"You never know!" I exclaimed. "There could be a wise monk living alone in the woods, waiting to be found so he can share his knowledge!"

"Yeah, I highly doubt that." Ben replied. "You don't even know where we are!"

"We're in Oblivia." I declared. "We're in the past. I think that's decent."

"Correction, you have no clue that we're still in Oblivia, and we're getting hopelessly lost because you don't want to admit that you're wrong." I glared at Ben, mostly because he was pretty much right.

"Fine, we'll go to Cameron or whatever." I conceded. "Which way?"

"I dunno, you're the one with the superhuman Pokémon powers." Ben shrugged. "Just ask Arceus or something."

"Good plan." I agreed. "ARCEUS!"

'What!? I'm trying to get some sleep over here! Your brother is panicking by the way.' Arceus informed me. I rolled my eyes. Let Jake panic. 'I will tell him that. What's the problem?'

"Where is Cameron?" I asked. "Since ghost boy here has no clue."

'Oh, it's in Hoenn.' Arceus declared. 'You might want to transport. If you're anywhere near Oblivia right now, it will be a long trip.'

"Ben, you up for a little transporting?" I asked.

"How are we going to do that?" He responded. "I'm a ghost, remember?"

"Right." I laughed. "Arceus!"

'_He_ can touch you, _you_ can't touch him.' Arceus sighed. 'Don't ask me to explain, I understand it about as well as I understand healing.'

"Which means you have absolutely no clue." I added. I turned to Ben. "Just grab my hand."

"But-"

"Just do it!" Ben reached over and grabbed my hand. Sure enough, we made contact. It made me forget for a second that he was dead. "See, no problem."

"Well, are you going to teleport?" Ben asked. I nodded, and teleported us to (hopefully) Cameron. Guess what? "Ugh, Summer! I'm soaked!"

"You're dead, how is that even possible!?" I groaned. "Why can't I teleport correctly?"

'I blame Mew.'

"You blame Mew for everything!" I rolled my eyes. "Oh, well. Ben, are we in the right place?"

"Um…" Ben looked around. "Yeah, this looks like-"

"Hey! A bit cold for a swim, don't you think!?" We both looked up. Ash's dad- that Sir Aaron guy- was standing on a bridge above us. "What are you two doing?"

"Her fault!" Ben cried automatically. "Not my idea!"

"In my defense, Arceus is the one who told me to teleport." I declared. "It's his fault."

"Are you just going to stay in the water all day and freeze your tails off, or are you going to swim ashore?" I looked up at Sir Aaron, glaring.

"I think I'll freeze to death, thank you." I replied sarcastically. Aaron looked at me weird, before shrugging.

"Suit yourself." He started walking off.

"THAT WAS SARCASM, IDIOT!" I screeched. Ben covered his ears, before glaring at me. Sir Aaron turned to look at us again. "How stupid are you? We're cold, wet, and _obviously_ miserable. OF COURSE WE'RE GONNA SWIM ASHORE!"

"You have quite a temper." Aaron chuckled. "Well, come on then. I'll take you to your parents so you can warm up."

"Doubt it." I muttered. We swam to the shore and pulled ourselves up. Sir Aaron offered a hand, which I gratefully took. HE pulled me ashore. When he offered to help Ben, Ben shook his head.

"I'm fine." He assured. I knew it was because he was trying to hide the fact that he was dead. "No worries."

"Okay…" Ben pulled himself onto the shore before standing up. Aaron smiled. "Now, where are your parents?"

"Parents?" I froze. What would we tell Aaron. Ben's mom and both of my parents hadn't even been born yet, and Ben's dad was a legendary Pokémon. "Um… they don't live… here. We're on a… trip."

"Ah." Sir Aaron nodded. "Why don't I take you back to the palace then?"

"Yes, that'd be nice, thank you." I responded. Ben and I followed Aaron down a narrow road. Cameron was a busy little town, bustling with people in medieval outfits. Most everyone seemed to know Sir Aaron, and they would say hi to him. Little kids were running through the streets in patched clothes, dodging the crowds of people. One little girl ran up to Ben and I, and sat down at our feet. She started poking my shoes, before looking up at me.

"Why aren't you wearing a dress?" She asked me.

"I don't look very good in dresses…" I laughed.

"Yes you do!" Ben retorted. He turned to the little girl. "Don't listen to Summer. She just isn't a big fan of normalcy."

"Yes I am!" I exclaimed. "It isn't my fault my life is crazy."

"You two are funny." The little girl giggled. She stood up, waved, and ran to catch up with her friends. Sir Aaron just laughed, and we continued onwards.

We reached the castle shortly. I was trudging along almost unwillingly. I noted a woman holding a baby who looked strikingly like Ash, and smiled.

"Aaron, who are these children?" She asked, smiling sweetly at us. "The poor dears are soaked!"

"We fell in the river." I explained quickly. "In my defense, it was all his fault."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"_You're_ the one who teleported!"

"And _you're_ the reason we're here in the first place!"

"Ignore her." Ben waved me off. "We need to talk to someone who's experienced in… well… a lot of confusing junk."

"I'm an Aura Guardian!" Aaron volunteered. "What is it you need help with?"

"Well… you see… I'm kind of… not exactly… sort of… maybe-"

"Oh, quit stuttering and get to the point." I frowned. Why, oh why, did he have to be a ghost? Now I couldn't hit him! "Ben's dead. Like, dead as a doornail, not of the living, no need to breathe, completely dead."

"Thank you for clarifying that." Ben commented sarcastically. I smiled innocently at him. "Got any more ways of confirming that I am, as you say, not of the living?"

"Yep, but you obviously don't want to hear them!" I laughed at his irritated expression. Sir Aaron and his wife stared at us, while the boy- whom I'd deducted to be baby Ash- gurgled happily.

"Well…" Sir Aaron started. "That explains a few things."

* * *

(Ben's POV)

"What exactly does my being dead explain?" I asked incredulously. Okay, it explained a _lot _of things. But nothing Sir Aaron knew. Or, at least, nothing I thought he knew.

"Your aura." Aaron said simply, as if it explained everything. Summer looked upward and made an irritated face. "It's… well, it's too bright. If that makes any sense-"

"Which it doesn't!" Summer cut in. "In the slightest."

"As I was saying," Sir Aaron sent Summer a quick glare. "Because your spirit isn't in your body, your aura appears much brighter. Anyway, why do you come to me?"

"He's dead and we don't want him to be." Summer deadpanned. Baby Ash giggled. "How do we unkill him?"

"Unkill?" I stifled a laugh at Summer's vocabulary. "Creative."

"Isn't it?"

"Kay-tiv!" Baby Ash laughed. Delia smiled down at him. "Kay-tiv!"

"Ash agrees!" Summer defended herself. "HAHA!"

"Um… so… I think I have a theory." Aaron announced. Summer and I looked at him eagerly. "Do you still have his body?"

"Yes." Summer declared. "We were gonna bury him in Alto Mare. Next to his Mom."

"Dad's idea?"

"Completely."

"Well, okay then. If you'd take me to him then? You will need my aura." Aaron smiled. Ben and I exchanged glances. "Delia and Ash can stay-"

"Oh, no! We're coming with you!" Delia cried. "I hate it when you leave me behind!"

"No go, Daddy!" Ash cried. "Ashy go!"

"Well… the thing is… we're kinda…" Summer bit her lip. "We're kinda from a _long_ time in the future."

"Like how long?"

"600 years, give or take." I shrugged. "I know Ash, though!"

"What?" Delia looked startled, and stared down at her son. "How?"

"Uh… long story short, there was some war and Sir Aaron sent you to the future." I smiled sheepishly. "Not sure how I know that."

"Well, we have to go, anyway." Sir Aaron decided. "And Delia can stay here with Little Ash."

"NOO! ASHY GOOO!" Ash screamed. Delia gave Aaron one last, desperate look, before rushing off into the castle with a screaming Ash. I couldn't help but think what good blackmail that would make.

"Well, shall we be on our way?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah," Summer grimaced. "Arceus says I can time travel like Celebi. Only problem is that I'm going to be time travelling and teleporting at the same time. I'm gonna give you fair warning here and suggest you hold your breath."

I grabbed Summer's hand, and Sir Aaron grabbed her other one. Summer squeezed her eyes shut, and I copied her, sucking in a deep breath. Moments later, I felt water up to my chest.

"I didn't drown us!" Summer exclaimed cheerily. "And, look, there's my place!"

"Let's hope it's the right time period." I muttered. Then I noticed the multitude of legendaries. There were less than before, but still a lot. We walked up to the front door, and Sir Aaron opened it. Walking inside, I saw my own body lying on the couch. Kind of a weird sight. Ash was arguing with Lucario (who was mysteriously still here) about something. He looked up when we walked in. Spotting Sir Aaron, he grinned.

"Dad!" He yelled. He ran up, stopped, and cautiously poked his dad, before grinning and hugging him. "You're form the past then?"

"Is that you, Little Ash?" Aaron laughed, ruffling his son's hair. "My, you've grown! Why, just a few minutes ago you could fit in your mother's arms! How is she, your mother?"

"She's great!" Ash grinned. "I think she doesn't like it that I'm always away, though. I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master, you know!"

"How are you, Lucario? I sent you to the future, then, too?" Sir Aaron greeted Lucario. The Pokémon shuffled awkwardly, as if deciding whether or not to break it to him that he was dead.

"Well… sort of…" Lucario replied. "It's a really long story, actually. And, technically, I'm not exactly _alive_ at the moment…"

"Oh." Sir Aaron seemed slightly put off by that comment. But he shrugged, and turned to Ben. "So. Let's get down to business, then."

* * *

(Summer's POV)

"How does this thing work, anyways?" I asked. Sir Aaron had instructed Ben to lay down on top of his body. It looked… really weird.

"Simple. I'm going to use my aura to transfer his back into his body." Sir Aaron gave Ben a weird look. "I must warn you, though, it is painful."

"Bring it on." Ben grinned. "I guarantee it can't be worse than that stupid machine Edward stuffed me in."

"No promises." Aaron replied. He held his hand over Ben and started muttering something I couldn't hear. A blue light emanated from his hands and spread over Ben. Slowly, Ben's…. er… spirit began to lower into his body. A grimace appeared on his face- both the spirit one and the body. Soon, Ben and his spirit completely merged and he gasped. Aaron moved his hands, and Ben sat up slowly. Sir Aaron smiled.

"It worked!" Ben cried. "It really did! HEY! EVERYONE! I'M ALIVE!"

It was like a stampede. The room was quickly filled with bewildered people and Pokémon. Celebi looked at Sir Aaron in surprise, before grabbing his arm. They both disappeared. Everyone else was too busy celebrating to notice.

'What did I tell you?' Arceus asked slyly. I smiled at him.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I asked. "You knew this would happen from the start."

'Of course I did!' Arceus declared. 'I know everything.'

I threw my shoe at him.

"Didn't see that coming, didya?"

'Nope.'

(Normal POV)

Ten years had passed since Ben and Summer had saved Oblivia. Ben waited, holding his wife's hand in the hospital room. He could see Kate and Keith waiting outside, Kate with a hand on her pregnant stomach. Summer gripped Ben's hand tighter, and a baby's cry suddenly filled the room. A few minutes later, the doctor walked up with a baby wrapped in pink.

"Congratulations," He smiled. "It's a girl. What's her name?"

"Keara." Summer declared breathlessly. "Kira Maya Eons."

**A/N: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I've been completely off-track and procrastinating and have such horrible writer's block with this story! It took me forever to decide on Ben's last name. I decided on Eons because Latios and Latias are the Eon duo. Keara is an OC I've had **_**forever**_** and finally decided to use. And that's it! THE END! The happy ending! With Ben, Summer, and little Keara as the happy family! :)**


End file.
